


Worlds Collide

by DimiGex



Series: Requested Work [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Akatsuki!Tenzo, Anal Sex, Angst, Blood, Brainwashing, Eventual Smut, Fanfiction based on art, Fight Scenes, Honestly this is just a roller coaster ride that is more than twice as long as it was supposed to be, Kakashi is a little bit broken (okay a lot), M/M, Some Fluff, Sorry Not Sorry, Thoughts of Suicide, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:02:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25889293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DimiGex/pseuds/DimiGex
Summary: When Tenzo is captured by the Akatsuki after Pein's invasion, Kakashi takes on the suicide mission to bring the man back to Konoha. But does he want to return?
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Yamato | Tenzou
Series: Requested Work [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878682
Comments: 12
Kudos: 58





	1. If the Choices We Make Define Who We Are

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vibgyoroygbiv](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vibgyoroygbiv/gifts).



> I'm so insanely excited to share this story with everyone. It was commissioned by the amazingly talented roygbiv on Tumblr for her Akatsuki Yamato art  
> (which can be found here: https://vibgyoroygbiv.tumblr.com/post/618834873000574976/kakayama-week-2020-day-5-akatsuki-y-e-s and here: https://vibgyoroygbiv.tumblr.com/post/618877074877366272/kakayama-week-2020-day-5-akatsuki-p-a-r-t-2).
> 
> I immediately fell in love with it, doubled the length that the story was supposed to be and still exceeded that, actually. But this is one of my favorite things that I've written so I'm glad that she's letting me share this with you guys! The story title as well as the chapter titles are taken directly from Our Worlds Collide by Dead by April (the acoustic one more than the original). As soon as I heard the song, I told myself I would write a Kakayama to that song and I'm blessed to have gotten the chance! I hope you enjoy the story as much as we do, and seriously check out her art on tumblr it's amazing!

Sticky blood trickled into Kakashi's eyes from a gash near his hairline. It seeped into his mask, making it hard to breath. The fractured ribs probably didn't help matters, either. Any movement brought a fresh stab of pain despite the adrenaline roaring through his ears. Kakashi jerked against the bonds holding him to the wall at ankles and wrists anyway. Rough wood bit into his skin, intensifying the flavor of betrayal in the pit of his stomach.

Tenzo stood half a dozen feet away, dark eyes glinting with cruel amusement. The mokuton used to capture Kakashi had been brutal, binding his hands before he'd thought to form a retaliatory jutsu. He should have sensed the trap from the moment that Tenzo stepped into the room, but he'd been too relieved to see the man alive and uninjured. It never crossed his mind that Tenzo might be a traitor.

Even now, the situation didn't fully register in Kakashi's mind. Tenzo looked the same as he always had: shaggy brown hair and puppy dog eyes. He still wore Konoha blacks beneath the cloud patterned cloak that Kakashi recognized as Akatsuki. The fabric covered his neck and lower part of his chin in the same manner, but something had changed. Kakashi had underestimated Tenzo, not because he thought the man was weak, but because he thought that they would always be allies.

"Why?" Kakashi growled, dribbling pink saliva from where an elbow had split his lip. He longed to rub the stinging liquid from his face, but had to content himself with an angry toss of his head. He stared at Tenzo, trying to understand. "I thought we were friends."

"Friends?" The word sounded foreign on Tenzo's tongue as he stalked closer. The easy movement put Kakashi in mind of a cat. He had always teased Tenzo about that during Anbu, but the comparison didn't seem amusing now. When the man stood close enough that Kakashi could see the swirl of gold in his brown eyes, he stopped.

Despite everything, Kakashi's heart skipped a couple of beats. How had they reached this place? Only a month ago, he'd thought that there might be something more for them, a future that didn't center on bloodshed and death. Tenzo had reentered Kakashi's life and turned everything upside down. Kakashi had railed against Tsunade's plan to have someone else lead his team when he was injured, but the woman had been adamant. She'd told Kakashi that his temporary replacement would come by to get the specifics of the mission, then left him to sulk.

Kakashi intended to traumatize whomever stepped into his hospital room later that evening. At least, he had until he saw who it was. Even without the Anbu mask and uniform, despite the years that had passed, Kakashi recognized Tenzo. The shy, almost apologetic smile brought a wave of nostalgia that made Kakashi's stomach ache. The space between them disappeared in those stolen hours at the hospital. Kakashi had almost believed that they would laugh off the injuries, then return to the Anbu barracks together like old times.

The pair hadn't, of course; Tenzo had gone on the mission with Team Seven while Kakashi sat in the hospital waiting for clearance. Those silent days had been excruciating while he imagined every horrible scenario that might have taken place: from Naruto losing control of the nine-tails and killing them all to Tenzo dying in his stead. The reality wasn't as dark as Kakashi's fears, but it was bad enough. He had been out of the hospital only a few days before they returned and he learned of the encounter with Sasuke.

Then, Kakashi and Tenzo started training Naruto in chakra nature transformations and their days took on a familiar routine of training and rest that recalled their Anbu days. The weeks they spent together had changed something, but Kakashi hadn't been able to put his finger on what it was. Easy laughter, shared dinners, and evenings of quiet chatter or reading beside each other had lowered the defenses that Kakashi hadn't known existed. It wasn't until Pein's invasion that Kakashi realized how dangerously close to Tenzo he'd become.

During that battle, Kakashi had died in every sense of the word. He'd traveled to the lands beyond, then been pulled back at the last moment. When Kakashi reopened his eyes to the familiar white hospital ceiling, Tenzo had been one of the first thoughts to cross his mind. When nothing came of his initial inquiries, Kakashi turned his attention to his students.

Finding information on Naruto and Sakura had been easy enough, but anyone who knew Yamato remained tight lipped. Finally, after exorbitant questioning of his nurses, Tsunade appeared. The frazzled woman gave Kakashi a flat stare, then sighed and informed him that Tenzo had been captured and assumed killed in action as per Anbu procedures.

Kakashi was familiar with the capture protocol burned into every Anbu from their earliest days in the black ops. They knew too much, and held too many secrets to risk falling into enemy hands. All Anbu carried a quick acting poison and an incineration tag that would destroy a body in a matter of seconds. If captured, they would sacrifice their lives to protect the village.

Only the guards that Tsunade posted on Kakashi's door kept him from confirming the details of Tenzo's death for himself. When she signed the discharge papers, Tsunade had given Kakashi all the information that she had on Tenzo's capture. She rolled her eyes when he questioned her, saying that she knew he would go whether or not she allowed it, so he might as well be prepared instead of fumbling around in the dark. Tsunade didn't hold out hope that Tenzo was still alive, but she'd wished him the best of luck.

By Kakashi's count, Tenzo had been in captivity for just over two weeks by the time a rescue mission was authorized. Kakashi refused to think of it as a recovery mission until he had proof of death. Reaching the location of Tenzo's last assignment and finding evidence of the Akatsuki had taken an additional three days. Then, Kakashi had developed a plan for infiltration. It had all gone smoothly until now.

Only three weeks ago, Tenzo had stood in Konoha as a faithful shinobi, helping plan attacks against the Akatsuki. There was no way that he'd been disloyal then, Kakashi would have known. Tenzo's allegiance couldn't have been a lie for that long. Kakashi's mind refused to accept the possibility; something must have happened in the time between.

Dragging himself back to the present, Kakashi stared at the man he'd once known so well. "What happened to you?"

A bitter, angry laugh ripped free of Tenzo's throat. " _You_ happened to me."

Before Kakashi could offer a stunned response, Tenzo's hand hovered by his face. The fingers were bare of the long gloves that made his Anbu uniform, and it took Kakashi a startled second to realize the man's nails were painted an inky black. He half expected a caress and laugh, like this had all been some kind of misunderstanding. Then, sudden pain ripped through Kakashi's body with an intensity that buckled his knees. Were it not for the bonds around Kakashi's wrists, he would have dropped to the floor.

Both shoulders screamed in protest at the force placed on sensitive joints, but Kakashi barely registered the feeling. Warm liquid spilled into his mask, coated his lips and tongue as a strangled cry escaped. The sharp edges of the world dimmed, the room losing the crystalline focus that had bathed it moments before.

It took Kakashi several seconds to fully understand the implications of what had just happened. Without his sharingan, details seemed fuzzy and dull in a way he couldn't explain. Some part of Kakashi screamed in horror at the idea of life without the ocular jutsu, he'd grown to depend on it, but his thoughts danced around out of order. The remainder of his mind fought to process the idea of Tenzo being a traitor. Even with _his_ blood running down the other man's wrist, Kakashi couldn't reconcile the image to reality. The pain of betrayal was nearly as bad as the physical agony of losing his eye.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" The mocking voice sent a spike of ice sliding down Kakashi's spine, blocking the anguish. Something in the tone made his pulse increase, heart hammering against his ribs like it was trying to break free. Contrasting warmth continued to flow down Kakashi's cheek as he turned. The man spoke a second time, malice dripping from each word. "It was meant to."

An impossible figure emerged from the shadows, and Kakashi blinked to dispel the hallucination. A second wave of misery flooded through his body at the movement, a reminder of what he'd lost. When he reopened his eye, the man remained. An Akatsuki cloak draped around the figure's body, contrasting sharply with the swirling orange mask that gloved hands reached up to remove.

Details leaped out at Kakashi as time slowed to a crawl. Spiky black hair stood up in every direction, pushed there by the mask, but that wasn't what caught his attention. Thick scarring covered the right side of the man's face from forehead to chin. Kakashi's mouth went dry, the image of the man in front of overlaying with the memory of a much younger boy. Shock squeezed the air from his lungs, making it impossible to breathe.

Obito smiled and raised his hand to caress Tenzo's cheek without looking away from Kakashi. "When someone you trusted completely betrays you, that's a whole different type of pain."

Kakashi couldn't tear his eyes away from the way Tenzo fawned over Obito. It soured his stomach. Tenzo gazed up like a faithful dog waiting to be rewarded for running down particularly difficult prey. Obito carded his fingers through Tenzo's hair, pushing it away from the man's bare forehead. A snarl rose in the back of Kakashi's throat at the intimacy of that action and then realization that Tenzo no longer wore his head protector. The man never looked in Kakashi's direction, completely absorbed in Obito as he held out the sharingan.

"You did well." Obito's hand slid down Tenzo's cheek to lift his chin, then he smiled. Kakashi watched the scene take place in slow motion, like he'd slipped out of his body. The room flexed, then blurred at the edges, causing spots to dance across Kakashi's vision.

Contempt filled Obito's single eye when he glanced at Tenzo, then waved a hand in Kakashi's direction. "Make sure he doesn't bleed to death before we learn something useful."

Tenzo moved, capturing Kakashi's head between his hands. For a moment, disorienting hope filled Kakashi's chest at the familiar touch. Then, chakra washed through his body like a tidal wave. He knew only darkness.

* * *

Piece by painful piece, awareness returned. Kakashi's shoulders ached like they'd been ripped from their sockets, then shoved back into place. After several confused moments, he realized that they probably had been. HIs full weight hanging on the joints when he collapsed had almost certainly dislocated them.

The dull throb in his left eye reminded Kakashi that losing the sharingan hadn't been some horrible nightmare. He tried to raise a hand to examine the injury, but it refused to move. After another moment of confusion, he realized that thick cords bound his wrists together. His upper arms were held against his torso in a similar manner. An experimental tug revealed the spongy flex of forest vines.

Kakashi opened and closed his fists, willing circulation back into the numb digits. He almost managed it, pain racing along each finger as the blood flow returned. Tenzo's healing had been rough, but effective. Most of Kakashi's earlier injuries had disappeared. He pushed to a standing position, willing the dizziness to pass. Only an echo of pain reminded him that they'd existed at all. Despite that, chara exhaustion ate at Kakashi's consciousness, making his temples throb with every heartbeat.

"You've gotten weak," a voice sneered from somewhere to Kakashi's right. He didn't startle at the sound; he barely had enough energy to turn toward it.

Obito leaned his shoulders against the wall, cleaning his fingernails with a short knife that flashed with every movement. Tenzo crouched on his heels beside the man, faithful as a dog. The sight angered Kakashi almost as much as it confused him. The questions that flooded back made him long for unconsciousness. At least then he wouldn't have to wonder how he'd missed the signs of Tenzo's betrayal. There, life still made sense.

Tucking the knife into a pouch at his hip, Obito pushed away from the wall. "I never imagined that you would fall into my lap so easily." The man moved closer, dual sharingan spinning in his eyes before they faded to black. "I fantasized about all the ways I'd make you pay, the ways I'd torture you for what you did. But, I didn't think it would be this simple." The final words were delivered with a bemused scoff. "You're so predictable."

Kakashi tightened his jaw hard enough to hurt his teeth. His mask, which Obito had left in place, made it hard to breathe. Kakashi knew that the man was trying to frighten him, maybe keep him off balance, but he couldn't surrender to it. He needed answers to more pressing questions. w"How are you alive?"

"Why does it matter to you," Obito spat, eyes narrowing to angry slits. He took two steps forward and punched Kakashi hard enough to knock him from his feet. The momentum threw him to the side, head bouncing against the ground.

Kakashi struggled back to his feet, coughing through the mask. Obito snorted without a trace of humor, then grabbed the front of Kakashi's shirt and hauled him the rest of the way up. "Why did you kill her?" His voice rose on the words, tightening with barely controlled fury. "That's fair, isn't it? You answer my question, and I'll answer yours."

Bile rose in Kakashi's throat, choking off his response. Rin's face swam before his eyes. Even after all these years, even without the sharingan, Kakashi could see every detail in perfect clarity. Blood dripped down her chin in obscene patterns while pain filled her brown eyes. But, there was an undercurrent of relief as well. Kakashi could hear the stuttered gasp of his name before she collapsed, life leaving her body little more than a doll in his hands. He had tried to scrub those memories from his mind, but they refused to leave.

After offering only a token space for Kakashi to respond, Obito turned toward Tenzo. "Has he ever told you how many of his teammates have died? How he killed the ones that he swore an oath to protect? Friend-killer Kakashi, they called him."

A growl rumbled in the back of Kakashi's throat at the hated title. He lunged toward Obito, fury lending him the strength to ram the man with his shoulder. "You don't know half of what you think you do. I tried to stop the chidori, but she stepped in front of me. Rin wanted to die-"

Obito's backhand made Kakashi's ears ring. He hit the ground a second time, tasting blood as kicks landed against his stomach. The bonds prevented Kakashi from curling in on himself to protect his vital organs. The best he could do was tighten his abs and hope that Obito grew bored before his body gave out. The blows eventually slowed, then ceased all together.

Spots danced in Kakashi's vision when Obito lifted him by the hair. He leaned close, voice filled with fury. "If you say her name again, I'll kill you. You don't deserve to even _think_ that name. Do you understand?"

Unable to speak, Kakashi nodded. Content, Obito tossed him aside like a piece of garbage. Raising his head, Kakashi's eye found Tenzo on the side of the room, arms crossed over his chest and a look of disinterest masking his features. Choking on the blood in his throat, Kakashi let the darkness drag him under.

* * *

Kakashi's days disappeared in an endless cycle of questions and torture. After which, Tenzo would restory him so that they could start again. The man's healing skills were rudimentary at best. He lacked the ease and precision that most medical nin possessed, using too much of Kakashi's reserves to supplement his lack of skill. Tenzo's ninjutsu did the job, but it left Kakashi sick to his stomach and weak with chakra exhaustion. Maybe that was the point.

In fact, Kakashi suspected that Obito used Tenzo because it got under his skin rather than needing him. The man brought thin rice that tasted more like blood than spices from the damage to Kakashi's mouth. Sometimes, he included water as well. Tenzo appeared to want to be anywhere that Kakashi wasn't. He never spoke, and hardly looked in Kakashi's direction unless his task required it.

Worse still were the days that Obito and Tenzo both questioned Kakashi. Obito remained in the shadows, watching with a look of cool amusement while Tenzo overdid himself to please his new master. The man hung on Obito's every word, a sickening look of adoration in his eyes that Kakashi couldn't fathom. The pair tortured him simply for the sake of torture, not seeming to care about the answers he gave.

Through the haze of exhaustion and injury, Kakashi tried to determine how long he'd been captive. A week, maybe two? In the end, it didn't matter. When he'd taken it upon himself to find Tenzo, Kakashi had known that Tsunade wouldn't send a recovery team. The only reason she had allowed it at all was because Kakashi wouldn't be persuaded otherwise. Jonin didn't rescue Anbu, no one did. Those captured in the field committed suicide rather than risk revealing village secrets. So, what had happened to Tenzo? How had he been turned into a traitor so easily?

Struggling into a sitting position, Kakashi rested his head against the wall and willed the throbbing behind his temples to ease. The way his hands were bound made moving difficult, but not impossible. He spent a portion of each day working his body as much as he could, keeping the blood circulating through atrophying muscles. As laughable as it was, Kakashi had almost given up on the idea of escape. He couldn't perform jutsu without his hands. And even if he could, the scarcity of food, the constant beatings, and the chakra drain of healing left him almost too weak to walk.

As Kakashi gazed around his cell, he tried to convince himself that he'd gotten used to viewing the world through his single eye. The sharingan had been part of his life for longer than he'd lived without it. He missed the sharp focus that it brought, the overwhelming detail of everything happening around him. But, he was thankful that it no longer drained his body. He had precious little energy left to give.

A secondary worry pressed itself into Kakashi's mind. How would he fight without the sharingan? While he'd developed the chidori before receiving Obito's eye, Kakashi hadn't been able to use it effectively in combat. The ocular jutsu changed all of that. And now, it was gone. Despite running a million scenarios over and over in his mind, Kakashi couldn't imagine learning an entirely new fighting style. Even if he managed to escape, he'd be as helpless as a genin.

The scrape of wood against stone caught Kakashi's attention, drawing him out of his self-pitying thoughts. Struggling to his feet, Kakashi slid his shoulders up the wall as Obito and Tenzo stepped into the room. He sought Tenzo's eyes, but the man looked away. If Obito noticed the exchange, he didn't comment on it. He smiled, a glint of teeth in the darkness, as he studied his captive. "Are you going to tell me what I want to know this time?"

"Probably not," Kakashi answered, forcing himself to smile beneath his mask so that it would touch his eye. He steeled himself against a strike, but it never came.

Obito sighed as if he regretted what was about to happen. "I was afraid you'd say that. You always were the stubborn one."

Kakashi didn't answer, didn't try to shy away from the punch that he knew was coming. He'd learned on the first day that avoiding attacks only meant he got double. Except, Obito didn't advance; he turned toward Tenzo with a cruel smile. "It's time to prove your loyalty."

Tenzo didn't hesitate. Pain blossomed through Kakashi's jaw, reopening a partially healed cut on his lower lip. The force knocked him backward and he lost his footing. Kakashi's knees cracked against the ground, allowing him to glance up at Tenzo as the man shook the sting from his hand. The shock of crimson on Tenzo's knuckles stunned Kakashi, no matter how many times he'd seen it. They had drawn blood while sparring of course, but this was something deeper. The apathy in Tenzo's brown eyes hurt Kakashi more than the blows did.

"Where did they hide the nine-tails boy?" The question wasn't new; Obito or Tenzo asked it nearly every time they interrogated Kakashi.

Konoha knew the Akatsuki were coming for the tailed beasts so they'd hidden Naruto's location since the attack on Gaara. Honestly, Kakashi had no idea where they'd moved the boy after he dealt with Pein. It was better that way. However, Kakashi needed Obito to believe otherwise if he stood a chance of escape. Though, Kakashi wasn't sure what was worth living for any longer.

Exhaling hard through his nose, Kakashi turned his attention on Obito. He couldn't look at Tenzo without a pang of loss that threatened to take his breath. Kakashi decided to try a different tactic than his usual silence. "By 'nail-tails boy', you mean sensei's son?"

The lack of reaction surprised Kakashi. He'd expected to catch a glimpse of the Obito that he remembered, the boy fiercely protective of his friends and family. Obito laughed without a trace of humor. The fact that Naruto was the last living piece of their sensei didn't seem to register. "You think I still care about things like that? You took away the only thing that ever mattered to me."

Before Kakashi could respond, a kick knocked the air from his lungs. He hadn't seen Obito give the command, but Tenzo followed it without thought. Two more attacks followed in rapid succession, a testament that the memory of Minato irritated Obito no matter how much he tried to deny it. Maybe he hadn't put the past as far behind him as he liked to pretend. Kakashi could use that to his advantage.

When the blows stopped, Kakashi forced himself onto his hands and knees before looking up at Obito. The man smiled with casual lethality, crouching down to Kakashi's level. "I could have killed him before now if I wanted to."

"You're lying," Kakashi countered, trying to still the rising fear at Obito's words. If it were possible for the man to kill Naruto, he would have done so already. He had to be bluffing, but why go through the theatrics? "You wouldn't be pressing me for information otherwise."

Obito raised a hand, forestalling Tenzo's strike, and grinned again. "You've always been short sighted. Do you honestly think nothing has changed in the past sixteen years?"

Despite knowing that he should keep his mouth shut, Kakashi shook his head and met Obito's gaze. "I think you've forgotten who you are and where your loyalties lie."

Laughter echoed through the small room as Obito rocked back on his heels. The expression tugged at the scars that roped across the man's face, pulling his mouth into a sneer. "And who am I?"

"A Konoha shinobi who would do anything to protect those he cares about," Kakashi answered, envisioning the goofy boy who fought to save Rin when Kakashi would have left her behind. Obito hadn't had a death wish, just fantical loyalty to his friends. Unbidden, Kakashi's eyes slid toward Tenzo when he said the words, hoping for some hint of acknowledgement. The man's apathetic expression remained unchanged.

"You are the last person who has any right to lecture me on protecting someone." Obtio snorted and pulled away from Kakashi. "You failed everyone: me, Rin, Minato and Kushina, Itachi, even Yamato. You'll fail Naruto too."

Obito placed one hand on Tenzo's shoulder, and Kakashi's throat tightened when the man leaned into it. He forced himself to not react despite the desire to lunge forward. "You fooled them all into thinking you were some kind of genius, but you've always been trash."

The names hit Kakashi like stones, and he flinched away from the impact. He'd failed everyone that he'd tried to protect, even Tenzo. Kakashi wasn't sure how Obito knew of the later deaths, but the implication that he had up to date knowledge about what went on in Konoha bothered Kakashi. Could Tenzo have been a traitor for years, growing close to Kakashi to feed Obito information? A knot tightened in his stomach.

Kakashi comforted himself that he wouldn't reveal the little he knew of Naruto's location. He would protect the boy for as long as possible, by his life or death. But, Kakashi wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. As part of his Anbu training, he'd been subjected to excruciation, of course. There was no way to know how a person would respond to physical pain until they'd experienced it, and the Anbu had been thorough with their training. Despite being subjected to torture in previous missions and training, Kakashi had never broken. Mental strain was another matter, however. How could he defend against a betrayal that cut this deep?

Only a few years ago, Kakashi had endured Itachi's tsukuyomi. Three days passed in a matter of moments, and it took Tsunade's healing to bring Kakashi back from that. He wondered if Obito had similar powers. Seeing the man alive shook Kakashi enough by itself. A small part of him couldn't discount that Obito might be a reanimation. But, the boy that he remembered had grown into a man. The same stubborn spikes of black hair stuck up in every direction, and the scarring was too perfect to be faked. Except, Kakashi had watched Obito die.

While Kakashi and Obito had been on the same genin team, they had never been friends in the traditional sense. Certainly not the same type of friendship that Kakashi shared with Tenzo. The pair had been teammates in Anbu for years. And, of all the people in Kakashi's life, Tenzo was the one that he'd allowed the closest. Even Gai bordered more on hero worship than comradery; Kakashi always felt like he needed to live up to something greater than himself. And, while the other jonin more or less accepted him, they'd never been able to fully shed the memory of friend-killer Kakashi.

But Tenzo-Tenzo had allowed Kakashi to be himself without any expectations. He hadn't been frightened by the reputation or angered by the aloofness that Kakashi prided himself on. They had been half kids on their initial mission together, back when Kakashi first learned that Tenzo would follow his heart over his head. In the past, Kakashi would have marked it as a weakness. By that time, he'd found the trait intriguing.

Kakashi recalled teasing Tenzo when they'd been younger, for his shyness, or the way he blushed so readily, for the innocence he exuded. The younger boy had been an easy target among the hardened Anbu, a breath of life in the darkness. Until they were separated, Kakashi hadn't realized how much he admired Tenzo. They had needed each other in the same ways, someone who looked at them as more than a piece to be moved across the board. He and Tenzo had filled the gaps where life had failed them. At least, they had for a time. Then, Kakashi was pulled to become a genin sensei, and Tenzo was left to rot in the black ops.

The memories distracted Kakashi from what was happening to his body. In one part of his mind, he recognized that he was being questioned again and acknowledged the pain from the blows, but they were distant things. Kakashi refused the idea that Tenzo would hurt him on Obito's command. He compartmentalized his mind the way he'd been taught, and escaped into fantasy.

Sunlight blazed down from a nearly cloudless sky while forest creatures competed to be heard over the roar of the nearby waterfall. A fine mist hung in the air, dampening the summer heat. Kakashi and Tenzo sat back to back on the ground while Naruto sprawled a dozen feet away, taking a momentary rest. Kakashi felt the companionable warmth across his shoulders and spine as he breathed in Tenzo's familiar scent. He shut his eyes against the sun's glare, relaxing in the laziness that the day offered.

"Senpai?" Tenzo questioned, his voice soft enough not to carry to Naruto. The boy seemed dead to the world anyway. Kakashi hummed in the back of his throat without opening his eyes. Muscles shifted as Tenzo turned, the movement throwing Kakashi off balance so that he almost tumbled into the other man's lap. His uncovered eye slid open, meeting Tenzo's smile.

_That was the moment_ , Kakashi reflected. _That was the moment that could have changed everything._

Kakashi had arched one eyebrow, waiting for Tenzo to continue whatever thought was worth interrupting his nap. Had there been hurt in the dark eyes at Kakashi's silence? Had he expected Kakashi to respond to the title he used, or maybe the tone? Was he disappointed to only receive a hum in response? It would have been easy to raise a hand and brush the familiar cheek. Tenzo had grown, matured in their time apart, but Kakashi still caught glimpses of the young man he'd left behind. Tenzo shook his head. "I just wanted to say that it's nice working together again."

The moment didn't have to end there. Kakashi could have crossed the space between them and said-something. His mind balked at the possibility, much like the words had dried in his throat. Kakashi had wanted to tell Tenzo that he missed their time together as well, that he was impressed with the shinobi he'd become. But, fear or pride had kept the thoughts locked inside his head. Instead, Kakashi eye-smiled, then suggested that they call it a day and head back to the village.

What if Kakashi had invited Tenzo to dinner instead of brushing him off that night? Not to Ichiraku with Naruto, but back to his apartment with takeout from that sushi place he liked. Maybe Kakashi would have found the courage to repeat the sentiment that Tenzo had shared, that he missed working together. Or, he could have gone one step further and admitted that he missed Tenzo in ways that had nothing to do with missions. He missed the teasing banter, and the lectures when he'd pushed himself too hard; he missed the closeness of having someone who understood what he didn't say.

When Kakashi left Anbu behind all those years ago, he'd gone without question. He hadn't wanted to become a jonin sensei, but the village needed him. So, he complied, obedience trained into him through years of life as a shinobi. While they had presented Kakashi with genin teams several times, none of them had impressed him to pass until his irritating trio. His mind continued to drift back to Team Ro. Itachi and Tenzo had been ideal students, eager to please and exceptionally skilled. They had functioned as a single unit with an inherent teamwork that made even the most difficult missions feel easy.

Itachi had already defected by the time Kakashi left Anbu, but Tenzo remained. If Kakashi closed his eyes, he could still see the pensive expression on the man's face as he watched Kakashi clean out his locker. They hadn't talked about it; there had been no grand gestures of farewell. Kakashi had clapped Tenzo on the shoulder and told him to be safe. Then, he'd left without a backward glance.

_That's the story of my life: too little and too late, always,_ Kakashi thought sourly. He let go of the timeline where he'd waited too long to speak and embraced the illusion that things could have gone differently. Kakashi could almost picture the shock on Tenzo's face when he admitted that he missed Tenzo in ways he never thought possible. That he'd found himself looking over his shoulder for that sweaty, disbelieving smile when one of Kakashi's crazier plans worked. Or, waiting for the familiar tut of disapproval when it hadn't.

Years ago, Kakashi had almost said something. But, he'd been young and dumb, not sure how to verbilize the thought. It had been on a mission in Kumo when the fighting went sideways that Kakashi realized something was different. Their target had twice the number of guards than intel suggested. Despite terrible odds, he and Tenzo won the fight, but Kakashi had been severely wounded . He had been bleeding out on the ground when Tenzo appeared like a fairy tale hero.

Kakashi's memories of their escape were tattered, snippets of pain and Tenzo's whispered encouragement to hold on a little longer. The younger man had found a cave to hide in for a couple of days, but their situation didn't improve. Kakashi fluttered in and out of consciousness while Tenzo did what he could for the wounds and covering watch duty for both of them.

When Kakashi finally came around, the sticky, dry taste of fever coated his tongue, sapping his ability to sit up. A comfortable heat settled across his back and hip. He'd found Tenzo there, curled against him with an arm thrown across Kakashi's side. Weariness had etched itself across the man's face, written in the furrow of his brow. Shaggy brown hair fell across one cheek from where his head protector had gone missing in the fighting. When Kakashi focused on the memory, he could feel the tickle of Tenzo's breath against the back of his neck.

The serenity shattered in an explosion of pain that forced Kakashi into a fetal position and catapulted him back into the real world. His eye slid open, losing the happy memory to a blurry image of Tenzo's face twisted with hatred. Kakashi coughed, curling tighter around his vital organs. It took him a moment to realize that Obito had left them alone. Nothing forced Tenzo to continue the blows; no one watched to make sure that he inflicted the maximum amount of pain. Tenzo followed the order to continue torturing Kakashi of his own free will.

The realization made Kakashi nauseated, or maybe it was the blood pooling in his stomach. Tenzo leaned closer, lips pulled back in a snarl. "Not so powerful now, are you, Famous Kakashi of the sharingan?" He scoffed in the back of his throat. "Of course you don't even have that anymore. I guess Obito was right: you're nothing."

The pain of those words and Kakashi's injuries bled together until he couldn't stand it anymore. Even drawing another breath seemed like too much effort. As consciousness flickered beyond his control, Kakashi heard himself beg. "If you ever cared about me, even a little bit, just end this. Please, Tenzo, just kill me."

Agony and darkness swallowed the world before Kakashi got his answer.


	2. Then, This is Who I am

Anger burned in Yamato's chest when resistance disappeared from Kakashi's muscles, leaving his body slack where it lay. When Yamato checked, Kakashi's chakra signature barely registered. It kept him alive, but not much more. The man had been in and out of consciousness over the past two days, and Obito wanted to keep him in limbo, confident that they would wring some information from him with enough time. Yamato wasn't certain what Obito wanted to learn, but he would keep trying until he found it.

As Yamato looked at the nearly broken shinobi by his feet, part of him wanted to laugh. Once upon a time, he'd hero worshipped Kakashi and thought that the man could do no wrong. Now, he knew better. Kakashi was pathetic. He wasn't the touted genius that he pretended to be, he wasn't superhuman, he'd simply had everything handed to him. In the end, Obito's sharingan had made the difference; it had nothing to do with Kakashi.

Even worse, Kakashi had tricked Yamato into believing in him. The man had spouted all that nonsense about teamwork and comradery, but he'd been nothing but a fake. Yamato had been duped for years, but now he saw Kakashi as he truly was. The famous copy-nin couldn't even save himself, how had Yamato thought he could save anyone else?

Kakashi's chin sagged against his chest, lungs wheezing with each breath. Crimson dappled his silver hair and coated the front of his flak vest. To prevent the man from using jutsu, Yamato had bound his hands tight enough to chafe. The angry red skin had wept on the vine-like ropes he'd summoned for the purpose. The roughly healed wound where he had removed the sharingan left a mask of dried, flaked blood down the left side of Kakashi's face. It continued to bleed intermittently.

_Please, Tenzo_.

Yamato startled out of his reverie, glancing at the unconscious form by his feet. Kakashi hadn't made sense during his brief excursion from oblivion. Yamato wondered who he'd been calling for, and why he thought anyone would care enough to save him. If the decision had been his, Yamato would have killed Kakashi and been done with it. He was a risk that Obito couldn't afford to take, but the man wanted to watch him suffer. Yamato had learned enough of their past to understand that motivation at least.

After kneeling to check Kakashi's pulse one last time, Yamato shoved him back toward the makeshift bed in the corner of the room. Yamato couldn't risk letting him die until Obito was finished with him. Though, Yamato doubted that Kakashi knew more than Obito about Naruto's movements. It wasn't like he cared enough about his students to keep track of them. Yamato should have seen that years ago instead of fawning after him like a fool.

Nausea twisted through Yamato's stomach as he locked the cell behind him. Uncomfortable thoughts rattled through his mind, but remained quietly out of reach. Something about Kakashi's plea resonated with him in a way that he couldn't put his finger on. Questioning him had been easy enough once Obito helped Yamato see the truth. While he'd never really had the stomach for it, Yamato had been taught the basics of torture in Anbu. Konoha had its own interrogation division, of course, but there wasn't always time to bring a target back to the village.

There had been dozens of missions where Team Ro needed information to complete their objectives. Yamato could recall watching Kakashi extract intel from stubborn enemy shinobi during their Anbu days. The man hadn't seemed to enjoy the process either, but he'd been thorough. His reputation alone did half of the work, then fists and the sharingan completed it.

_He won't be doing that anymore,_ Yamato thought with giddy amusement as he made his way through the hallway. _The sharingan is back with its rightful owner now._

Part of Yamato wondered if he should feel ashamed of how easily Obito had won him over. The change had happened quickly, though he couldn't pinpoint the journey from admiration to loathing. He remembered the way that Obito talked about Kakashi, detailing his past failures with gruesome details. As it turned out, Yamato hadn't known as much about his former captain's history as he'd thought. While he knew that Kakashi lost teammates in the past, he didn't realize they'd died by Kakashi's hand. He hated to think that he'd followed someone so callous.

Even worse than the blind worship of Kakashi, how had Yamato not seen the way that Konoha manipulated him for their own ends? They'd allowed one of their own to experiment with children, to kill dozens of them in the name of research. Then, when Yamato survived, they forced him into a life of shadowy service. None of Konoha's leaders cared who he'd been before Orochimaru experimented on him, or what he wanted from life. The unique jutsu that Yamato had been cursed with would dictate his future was long as he stayed in Konoha.

Obito, and by extension the Akatsuki, offered a freedom that Yamato had never considered before. A world where he could choose his own path, whether that meant more killing or a peaceful life. He didn't have to continue being little better than a spy and assassin, told where to go and who to kill. Yamato could be anything that he chose once Obito changed the world. Konoha was a small price to pay for that future.

_Is Kakashi's life so insignificant?_ The whisper nearly drove Yamato to his knees. He staggered under the weight of the words and put one hand on the rough wall to steady himself. A pulse of life shivered through his body at being connected to the earth again, calming the sudden pain beneath his breastbone.

_Please Tenzo_.

Dots danced in Yamato's vision as he stumbled forward. His hand found the handle to his door by muscle memory alone. Bile rose in the back of his throat as he felt the imaginary brush of fingertips against his neck. Yamato knelt to stop the room from spinning. Pain exploded behind his eyes, sharp enough to take his breath and radiating through his skull. Vaguely, he wondered if he'd been poisoned, and if so, how. It hurt too much to think, like something had broken loose inside his mind. Groaning, Yamato sank onto the bed and squeezed his eyes shut.

* * *

_Please, Tenzo._

The words vibrated through Yamato's mind, tugging insistently at threads that he couldn't unravel. Kakashi's face swam through the shadows, twisted by pain and betrayal. Yamato shook his head, trying to banish the replay of their last moments together. The images refused to go. Yamato tossed onto his side, only half aware that he'd fallen into a fitful sleep. The pressure in his head increased, while imagined flames lapped at his insides.

The thought of poison crossed Yamato's mind again, but he disregarded it. Kakashi hadn't had the opportunity, though he certainly had a motive. And, if it had been Obito, going for help would have been pointless anyway. The only thing that he could do was wait for it to pass. Yamato clenched his jaw against the nausea and fever dreams that left him gasping for air, unable to break free.

The images that flashed through Yamato's mind rippled as if observed through water. Most of the colors were muted to a muddy grey. A flash of sickening green danced in his vision. Disappointed golden eyes followed, then darkness. A sharingan whirled through the black, tainting the world in shades of crimson. The color morphed into a stream of blood flowing from a gash on Yamato's arm, soaking his Anbu gloves. Kakashi wrapped a bandage around the wound.

Despite the blurriness of Yamato's surroundings, Kakashi's face stood out in perfect detail. He watched from the outside, separate from the scene, but still a part of it. The same grey hair fell into his eyes as he worked, securing gauze around Yamato's bicep. They were years younger than today, but Yamato couldn't match an age to their faces. He smiled, laughing at some quip of Kakashi's that didn't breach the veil. The man tied off the bandage, and the memory popped like a soap bubble.

Shadows dragged Yamato deeper into the darkness, grip tight on his arms despite his struggle. Terror rose in Yamato's throat as he tossed to the opposite side, blankets clutching at his legs. He struggled against the iron bonds that secured his arms against a chair. Fear sweat slicked his body and burned his eyes. Kakashi burst through the door, eyes wide as he brandished a kunai.

The Anbu uniform unleashed a cascade of secondary memories that flooded through Yamato too quickly to register. The agony in his temple built to the point of shattering, leaving him curled on the bed with arms tight around his head. Yamato floundered against a current too powerful to resist. He had no choice but to allow it to carry him wherever it would.

Kakashi solidified inside the haze in a flurry of half grasped mirages. Shielding Yamato as chidori sang between them. Crumpled in a pool of crimson. Lying half covered by a blanket beneath the star filled sky. Holding out a gloved hand with an eye-smile. Laughing. Silent in a hospital bed, then stony faced when it was Yamato's turn to heal. Steaming bowls of ramen creating fragrant clouds between them. Reading _Icha, Icha_ with no concern for Naruto's training. Scenario after scenario filled Yamato's mind until it felt like it would fracture. He whimpered, begging them to stop.

_Please, Tenzo_.

Yamato's heart missed several important beats, stuttering out of rhythm as the onslaught ceased and dropped him into a blindingly bright scene. Bird song filled his ears as a soft breeze cooled the sweat on his face. His muscles ached from hours of tension, but a radiating warmth against his back coaxed him away from the hurt. He didn't need to turn to know that the weight belonged to Kakashi. Yamato could hear the soft rustle of pages, and the familiar cadence of Kakashi's breath.

Concentrating on those details made it easier for Yamato to ignore the strain coursing through his body. Something tugged at his chakra, pulling his attention to Naruto. The genin slumped forward in exhaustion, his body refusing to push any further. Yamato allowed his shoulders to round, easing the stiffness along his spine. Kakashi grunted at the movement of his prop and turned, resting one hand close to Yamato's hip as he looked up at the waterfall. "Did he get it?"

"No," Yamato answered, fighting through the exhaustion that blurred his vision. He needed sleep, preferably at least two days to regain his chakra reserves, but there wasn't time. They had to push themselves before the Akatsuki came after Naruto. The boy had to get better, even at the cost of Yamato's health.

Yawning, Yamato closed his eyes and surrendered to the warmth of the sunshine on his body. Sleep tugged him toward the promise of rest and momentary forgetfulness. His muscles grew slack, guard dropping entirely as he leaned against Kakashi. His breathing leveled out-

A weight on Yamato's shoulder drew him away from the inviting caress of sleep. Looking over his shoulder, he found Kakashi staring back with a mix of respect and gentleness that brought a blush to Yamato's cheeks. The man shook his head. "You're pushing yourself too hard."

Kakashi held out his hand, offering a small, black soldier pill. Yamato grinned when he realized that Kakashi had chosen the mild flavored ones that he preferred. Even so, Yamato shook his head. "I'm fine, senpai."

"Please, Tenzo? For me," Kakashi coaxed as if he were talking to a particularly petulant child rather than an accomplished Anbu. "It'll be good for you."

Yamato snatched the pill from Kakashi's hand and popped it into his mouth. Within seconds, energy flooded through his body, enough that he felt like he could walk back to the village at least. Convenient since the sun had already begun to sink toward the horizon. Shaking his head a second time, Yamato rolled his eyes at Kakashi. "It's Yamato now."

Rising from the ground, Kakashi held out a hand. When Yamato took it, expecting to be pulled up, Kakashi used the other ruffle his hair like a favorite puppy. "You'll always be Tenzo to me."

* * *

_Please Tenzo._

Tenzo jerked upright with a gasp, struggling to breathe as his mind rebounded against reality. The throbbing of his temples paled in comparison to the memories that slammed into him with sickening force. He felt the pain in his fists as they connected with Kakashi's body, saw the pleading look in the man's eye as it fought to focus on Tenzo's face, felt the hot blood running between his fingers as he removed the sharingan-

Stomach roiling, Tenzo scrambled across the room to empty his stomach on the ground. Wave after wave of bile rose in his throat until he spent himself in dry heaves that left the room spinning. Tenzo collapsed on his side, breathing raggedly through the sour taste in his mouth. Now that he could remember who he was, Tenzo fought to make sense of his situation.

The fragmented memories came back in bits and pieces. Tenzo had been captured by the Akatsuki known as Tobi, then brought to a hideout somewhere in the Land of Fire. Tenzo was fairly certain that they hadn't traveled far enough to reach the border yet. The thought sent another wave of nausea coursing through his stomach. How long had the Akatsuki been spying undetected right under their noses?

_Stay focused,_ Tenzo chastised himself, ignoring that problem for later. He couldn't take down the entire base of operations by himself. Not if he wanted to get Kakashi out alive. Tenzo had only seen Obito thus far, but he would have been shocked to find the man operating alone, especially as part of the Akatsuki. They were too organized to leave a loose agent roaming free.

Tenzo struggled with the idea that Kakashi's former teammate was alive. Village gossip suggested that the Uchiha had died years ago, but that was obviously a lie. Tenzo wracked his brain, trying to sort out the memories. It only produced a deeper ache, similar to chakra exhaustion. He was fairly certain that he'd been under some type of genjutsu but wasn't sure if a brainwashing variety existed. The details were foggy, slipping between his fingers like smoke when he grabbed for them.

Prioritizing his problems for the most urgent, Tenzo focused on making an escape plan. He couldn't remain at the hideout much longer, not without risking Kakashi's life. Though they'd discussed torture in Anbu, though he'd seen Kakashi live through it at least once, Tenzo had never imagined he would see his senpai break. Multiple rounds of torture had left a mark on the man, perhaps more deeply for Tenzo's involvement in them. Additionally, they'd kept Kakashi in a state of near chakra exhaustion, pushing his overtaxed body that much further. Whether or not Obito meant to, he'd break Kakashi before much longer.

Even so, Obito wouldn't let Kakashi out of his sight without a struggle. To complicate matters, Tenzo had no idea where his pack and weapons had been stored. He no longer wore them, nor were they in his spartanly furnished room. Tenzo wore the sleeveless black shirt and pants of Anbu, but his silver armor plates were missing as well. A black cloak patterned with red clouds covered his shoulders in its absence. As much as he wanted to rip the garment off, he saw the use in its disguise.

Rising from the floor, Tenzo brushed the dust from his pants and took a deep breath. He wondered if Obito would be able to tell that something had changed by his mannerisms, or if he continued the convincing persona of Yamato. Thankfully, he'd had months of practice with that particular cover. This was no different than the mission leading Team Kakashi, except the stakes were higher. He didn't shy away from the fact that he might die, but refused to accept the reality that his mistake could kill Kakashi as well.

Tenzo took comfort in the fact that Obito had never called him anything except Yamato. At least, not that he remembered. Hopefully that meant that Obito hadn't managed to break through the layers of protection that Tenzo had wrapped around that part of his life. Anbu and Root had taught him how to compartmentalize his mind so he could focus on a mission without distractions. He could get through this if he worked through each problem as it came. There would be time for regrets later.

The first objective would be locating weapons and supplies. Tenzo would need both to pull off an escape. Plan forming in his mind, he stepped into the hallway. An eerie dizziness nearly dropped him to his knees as the memories of the past couple of days overlaid his vision. Tenzo's feet knew which path to take, however. He followed them to a room that boasted a table and a couple of crates used as chairs. He frowned at the wood, wondering if he'd been the one to make it, then his eyes snapped to the man sitting beside it.

Obito tore a chunk from the ration "bread" in front of him, then inclined his head marginally. "Did you learn anything new?"

Tenzo allowed his gaze to sweep over Obito for a long moment, assessing how dangerous the man really was. Shinobi rarely looked threatening at a glance, but something sinister clung to Obito, a coiled tension that might explode in any direction. It reminded Tenzo of Naruto. The tailed beast gave the boy the same unpredictable nature, the same aura of death. Tenzo couldn't help but wonder what created the hatred in Obito.

"No." Tenzo rolled his shoulders to remove the intensifying stress in them. He settled on one of the crates to pick at his nails after answering. The inky darkness had come as a surprise, and every instinct told him to erase it from the pale surface. With an effort, he kept them black. Doing otherwise would give away that his allegiance had changed. Tenzo reached across the table and took some of the bread. "He was in and out of consciousness, so I left him. I'll try again later."

Obito hummed, chewing thoughtfully on the dry, hard ration. Tenzo glanced around the room, seeking anything that might give him a clue about their location. It was completely bare except for the table and chairs. Knowing that he couldn't bide his time, Tenzo got straight to the point. "Do you know where my weapons and pack are? They aren't in my room."

For a moment, the Uchiha didn't speak. He toyed with the swirled orange mask that sat on the table next to him. A cool disinterest filled his voice when he finally answered. "Do you need them for something?"

Tenzo had prepared his lie before asking the question. He raised one shoulder in a shrug as if the answer were of no consequence. "I wanted to get some training in, maybe breathe some fresh air. A person can only stand so much torture in a hole in the ground before they start to go a little stir crazy."

The silence stretched for a long moment as Obito watched Tenzo. Seeing Kakashi's eye in the other man's face made Tenzo's stomach tighten, the memory of his own raising to the forefront of his mind. After a minute, Obito mimicked Tenzo's halheared shrug. "There's a training area down the hall where you can burn off some energy. But, I'll see that your weapons and pack are returned to your room by this evening if you prefer your own."

"Thanks," Tenzo exhaled, reaching for the travel bread a second time. He wasn't sure if he'd had access to the training room before, but it would give him a place to work the lethargy out of his muscles and continue developing a plan. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

* * *

After choking down as much of the hard rations bread and lukewarm water that he could stomach, Tenzo began his search for the training room. Like everything else, it was bare bones at best. There were a couple of wooden posts driven into the ground on one side and a rack of weapons on the opposite. A couple of tattered Akatsuki cloaks hung by the door, adding to the smell of dust and disuse. Tenzo skimmed the selection: a few rusted katanas, a handful of shuriken that had seen better days, and a mismatched set of kunai. Serviceable, but hardly inspiring.

Even so, Tenzo forced himself to work through several katas, moving until sweat trickled into his eyes. He had a natural affinity for the katana, but since taking up the persona of Yamato, he hadn't been able to use it much. A jonin well versed in the sword would have been easy to pick as former Anbu. He flowed from one stance to another, muscles tensing and releasing rhythmically under the strain. It had been too long since he practiced this way.

The exercise cleared Tenzo's mind, helping him focus on the tasks that he needed to accomplish before making an escape. He hoped to get away without fighting, but wasn't foolish enough to count on that. After testing out each of the weapons in the training room, Tenzo selected one kunai and three shuriken to tuck beneath his cloak. They would need food as well, but since they were still in the Land of Fire, he should be able to reach help quickly. If not, Kakashi was used to living on what little sustenance Obito provided. A few more days shouldn't make any difference.

With weapons and food covered, Tenzo turned his attention to the actual escape. Anbu had taught him to adapt to any situation, but this one held too many unknowns. That was without the added difficulty of getting Kakashi out alive. He knew that the jonin wouldn't be in any condition to travel, so a quick escape was imperative. Tenzo also couldn't count on Kakashi's assistance during a fight. He'd have to plan to do everything on his own; no mistakes.

Adrenaline singing in his ears, Tenzo slammed the final kunai into the post and decided that he'd had enough. Though he couldn't see the sun, his internal clock suggested that it was late evening. He had a couple more hours to plot and prepare, then he'd have to move for better or worse. After replacing everything just as he'd found it except the purloined weapons and a cloak, Tenzo started back toward his room.

Obito kept his word. Two weapon pouches and a much used pack were sitting beside Tenzo's bed when he entered his room. Under the guise of cleaning and organizing, he dumped the contents onto the bed. As expected, two dozen sharpened shuriken and half as many kunai waited in the weapons pouch along with a handful of explosive tags, ninja wire, and a few other odds and ends. A change of clothes, med kit, vial of soldier pills, bed roll, and two scroll cases had been in the pack. Tipping the latter out, Tenzo realized that several scrolls were missing, but he couldn't remember which ones. It wasn't important at the moment. Pretending not to notice, he repacked the bags and set them at the foot of his bed.

A quick glance around the room showed everything in order, but Tenzo didn't trust Obito. He assumed that asking for the weapons had at least piqued the man's interest. Tenzo forced himself to continue what felt like a normal routine in case Obito was watching him somehow. He removed the Akatsuki cloak and folded it neatly over his pack. When Tenzo had suggested needing some fresh air, Obito hadn't offered to take him outside. Obviously Tenzo wasn't allowed to leave the hideout, so he was probably still under suspicion. Obito didn't strike him as the type to leave things to chance. _All the more reason to get out of here as quickly as possible,_ Tenzo thought, lowering the flame of the lamp then extinguishing it entirely.

Tenzo had decided that he needed to move tonight; he couldn't hold up this ruse much longer. Nor, could he put Kakashi through another round of torture, not now that he understood. Escaping tonight had the added benefit of robbing Obito of time to prepare for it. Even if the man suspected something, he would want to be certain before acting. Tenzo could use that to his advantage. But, each hour that he delayed was another chance for Obito to realize that his influence had worn off.

Taking a deep breath, Tenzo jolted chakra through his body to remove any genjutsu he might have missed. When the room remained identical, he sighed in relief and laid back on the hard bed. The hours passed slowly while Tenzo used the Anbu tactic of deepening his breathing to mimic sleep. Keeping it up for hours sapped his energy more than he expected. Midnight came and went; still Tenzo waited. He listened for footsteps or whispered conversations, but nothing stirred the stale air.

Slipping silently from beneath the blanket, Tenzo strapped on his weapon pouches. The comfortable familiarity of their weight made it easier to breathe. He hooked both arms through his pack, then threw the cloak over everything. Tenzo didn't plan to be seen, but if he was, the Akatsuki colors would create momentary confusion. That edge could be the difference between life and death.

Creating a clone to take Tenzo's place in bed was easy enough, as was melding into the earth beneath his feet. Calculating the distance to Kakashi's cell was more difficult. Tenzo had wanted to measure earlier, but feared that showing too much interest in his former senpai would tip Obito off. Instead, he relied on hazy memory and training.

When Tenzo peeked from his barrier of dirt a few moments later, he realized he'd miscalculated. A storeroom surrounded Tenzo, filled with dusty crates and boxes. For a moment, he considered going through them to see if he could find anything of interest. But, rescuing Kakashi was more important than his curiosity or the village's safety. He couldn't risk wasting more time.

When Tenzo rose a second time, a putrid mix of sweat, blood, and sickness filled his nostrils. He pushed higher, uncomfortably aware that he'd caused most of that suffering. Kakashi lay on his left side, curled into a ball. A chill raced through the man's body, making his teeth clack together with its force. Tenzo made it halfway to Kakashi's side before he unwound and lunged. The feeble attack went wide of Tenzo's face, but Kakashi pivoted into a second charge, nearly losing his balance. Tenzo caught his arm, shocked at the heat radiating from beneath his fingers. That hadn't been there six hours ago.

"Come to finish the job?" Kakashi snarled the words, face twisted in a rictus of pain. A wildness that Tenzo had never seen before filled the man's single eye when he struck again.

"No," Tenzo answered, avoiding the pathetic attempt to strike him by ducking beneath it. "I came to get you out."

Kakashi paused, tottering side to side like a drunk. The fever brightness of his eyes made him half-savage, but Tenzo felt more guilt than fear. He'd done this, even if he hadn't meant to. Obito had used him to methodically tear down each of Kakashi's defenses, leaving him a shell of his former self. Tenzo had turned Kakashi into a stranger.

"You lying bastard," Kakashi wheezed, drawing his arm back. "Just let me die already."

Tenzo allowed the punch to land, letting his chin snap back at the explosion of pain. The attack brought Kakashi within range, anger changing his normally careful sparring style to one more fitting in a brawl. Tenzo turned as the second strike brushed his shoulder, hooking an arm through Kakashi's to spin the man's back against his chest. He pinned Kakashi's arms to his sides. Though his longtime friend struggled with a desperation that Tenzo had never seen, he wasn't strong enough to break the hold.

"Relax. I'm trying to help you," Tenzo ground out, fighting to maintain his grip on a man who had nothing to lose. Only the food and rest that Tenzo had received the past few days gave him an edge over the weakened Kakashi. Otherwise, he wasn't sure he would have been able to subdue him. The struggle wasted precious time, slimming the possibility of a clean getaway. Tenzo needed Kakashi to cooperate.

Kakashi threw his head back, catching Tenzo's chin rather than his mouth. Sparks shot through Tenzo's vision, but he tightened his hold. Kakashi stepped to the side, hand punching backward. Tenzo turned, catching the blow on the thigh instead of his groin. Air hissed through his teeth as he fought to break through Kakashi's hysteria. "Don't make me do something we're both going to regret."

When Kakashi twisted and kicked backward, Tenzo grit his teeth; he didn't have time for this. His hands shifted into a chokehold. Fingers scrabbled against his bare forearm, and blood welled beneath scratches that bloomed like fire. Then, Kakashi abruptly sagged forward. Counting under his breath for several heartbeats, Tenzo continued to ensure that Kakashi wasn't faking unconsciousness. Sighing, he lowered the jonin to the ground. It would have been much easier if Kakashi had cooperated.

Crouching, Tenzo pulled the spare Akatsuki cloak from his pack and secured it around Kakashi's neck. He couldn't do much about the missing eye, but the cloak might keep curious glances from lingering long enough to notice. With Kakashi's clothing disguised, Tenzo used his kunai to dig a depression in the ground and filled it with a water jutsu that he'd learned from one of Hashirama's scrolls.. He offered a silent apology while smearing the mud over Kakashi's hair. It wasn't enough to dye the distinctive silver hair, but did manage to tame some of the spikes. It would have to do.

Aware that too much time had passed, Tenzo hoped for the best and prepared to move on. The escape plan relied on incomplete knowledge of the land. He could transport Kakashi through the same means that had brought Tenzo to his cell, but that meant striking out blind. He would have to sense the depth of the earth to know when they were away from the compound. Then, assuming he hadn't made a mistake, Tenzo had to figure out roughly where in the Land of Fire they were and which direction would take them back to Konoha. Each task would be difficult, and together, they might well be impossible.

Tenzo forced the negative thoughts to a quiet buzz in the back of his mind and created a second clone. Henging it to look like Kakashi was more difficult than it should have been, but his appearance had changed significantly over the past couple weeks. More than the missing eye, it was the overall pallor of his skin and wasted muscles that made it challenging. Eventually, Tenzo decided it would have to do. The clone wouldn't hold up to close scrutiny, but it might buy them time.

Kneeling next to Kakashi, Tenzo checked his pulse one last time before scooping the jonin from the ground. Carrying the man against his chest wasn't the easiest way to move, but he'd have to make it work. Tenzo glanced at the door of the cell to make certain he'd locked it, then melded into the ground. There was a sickening moment of vertigo as the air disappeared, but years of experience taught him to ignore it. Focusing on the weight of earth above him, Tenzo continued forward until he felt a subtle change, then pushed upward.

The soft sighing of the wind through the trees filled Tenzo's ears. It had never sounded as sweet as it did in that moment, easing some of the fear in the back of his mind. Lying Kakashi on the mossy earth, Tenzo cast around the moonlit clearing. To foreigners, the forest looked identical everywhere. But, for someone who had grown up in the Land of Fire, the trees told a story. The density and species suggested that they were somewhere far north of Konoha, and the stars that broke through the canopy overhead confirmed it.

_It could be worse, but it could definitely be better,_ Tenzo reasoned as he searched for a familiar landmark to pinpoint their location. A gentle tug in the back of his mind pulled Tenzo away from his thoughts. The dual awareness that came with clones was a strange sensation, like an offshoot branch that controlled its own network of leaves. Bunshin functioned more or less independently of their creators, but a strand of connection remained that allowed him an inkling of omnipotence. Tenzo felt a stir of apprehension from one of the clones and knew there wasn't much time left.

"Come on," Tenzo grumbled, hefting Kakashi over his shoulder. He used chakra to augment his muscles so that the man would be easier to carry. Nearly any shinobi could strengthen their muscles beyond normal limits, but that increase came with a cost. The effort would doubly exhaust Tenzo, but there was no other choice.

Tenzo leaped for the trees to put some distance between himself and the compound. The nagging in the back of his mind grew more insistent, making it hard to focus. He had a second of indecision as he stared through the moon dappled canopy. He'd seen no sign of guards, but Tenzo doubted that someone as cautious as Obito would be alone. Just because he hadn't noticed them, didn't mean they weren't there. If Kakashi woke up and started struggling, he would alert half of the forest before Tenzo could contain it. The best that Tenzo could do for the moment was to make sure that Kakashi was safe. He had only a vague idea of where they were, and it would take time to figure it out. Time that Tenzo didn't have.

Speeding a short distance away, Tenzo paused by the bole of a large tree. He used mokuton to wrap Kakashi's body in wood, blending them together until there was no sign outside manipulation. Once his task was complete, Tenzo left the tree without a backward glance. In the unfortunate event that Kakashi woke before he returned, the man wouldn't be able to move, much less utter a sound. Tenzo refused to think about what would happen if he didn't make it back for Kakashi. He couldn't worry about that now. He would come back; it was that simple.

One of the threads at the back of Tenzo's consciousness snapped, memories flooding into him with the force of a tidal wave. Before he could decipher the intel, his second clone vanished. Then, the alarm went up. A roar reverberated through the ground, coming from multiple directions at once. Tenzo reached for a kunai in the pouch on his hip and dropped into a defensive crouch, emptying his mind of everything except the moment.

"I would have given you _everything._ " The hissed voice behind Tenzo sent ice sliding down his spine. "Why risk so much for _him_? Why does everyone bend over backwards to protect _Kakashi_?"

_Because Kakashi is my everything._ Some unidentifiable piece of Tenzo answered the question before his mouth could formulate words. He turned toward Obito, hating the fear that pooled in his stomach. He'd been dreading this confrontation, even hoping to avoid it. Tenzo kept his eyes on Obito's feet to avoid being caught in another genjutsu, or whatever the man had used the first time. "Konoha is my home," he answered.

Obito's razor edged laughter filled the night. "A week ago, you would have burned the entire thing to the ground. What changed?"

"I woke up," Tenzo growled, spinning the kunai in his hand to keep from gripping it too tightly. "You have nothing that I want. You betrayed everyone who cared about you, everything that you stood for. And, for what?"

"A chance for life to go the way it should have." Fury dripped from Obito's snarled words, but there was an undercurrent of pain as well.

Tenzo closed himself to feeling pity for Obito. The man had obviously been affected by the deaths on his genin team, but that didn't justify his actions. While he could almost understand the hatred for Kakashi, and even Konoha by extension, Tenzo couldn't join Obito there. He had chosen a different path long ago.

Confusing Tenzo's silence for indecision, Obtio pushed his argument. "For all of Kakashi's precious rules, he never saved anyone when it mattered most."

"He came back for me," Tenzo whispered, pieces clicking into place with sickening clarity. "Kakashi wouldn't have been here otherwise. You used me as bait."

The realization turned Tenzo's stomach, making it clench hard against what little food he'd eaten. When he'd been captured on mission, Kakashi had been stationed in Konoha. The only reason for the man to be so far from the village was because, despite every rule they'd had drilled into them, he'd come to rescue Tenzo. Kakashi had been captured and lost his sharingan because of Tenzo's failure. Worse still, he thought that Tenzo had willingly lured him into the trap.

Obito chuckled, and Tenzo's eyes came up high enough to see the man's cruel smile. The movement pulled obscenely at the scars on his face. "You're smarter than I gave you credit for. How did you break the brainwash genjutsu?"

Rather than wasting time with words, Tenzo flung the kunai at the center of Obito's chest. He blinked in confusion when the man's body flickered, allowing the weapon to pass harmlessly through the space where he'd been standing. It sank into a tree behind Obito, quivering. Tenzo's mind spun, vaguely recalling reconnaissance about an Akatsuki member who could phase through physical attacks. He hadn't realized it was Obito

Blowing out a breath, Tenzo drew a second kunai. Obito scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't kid yourself. That little blade of yours is useless. And, I know you're strong, but fire beats wood every time."

Despite the desire to offer a snarky reply, Tenzo didn't waste his focus on words. Fire might beat wood, but earth and water both smothered a flame. Tenzo wasn't sure how much Obito knew about his skillset, so he didn't offer the knowledge that he could use them independently. Rolling to the balls of his feet, Tenzo threw three kunai in rapid succession while dodging to the left. He dared a glance upward, watching the trajectory of the weapons.

A sudden swirl of red and black filled Obito's right eye at the moment of impact. The change was gone almost immediately, but it confirmed Tenzo's suspicion that the trick had something to do with the sharingan. Hopefully, that meant that Obito wouldn't be able to trap him in a genjutsu as easily because his attention was needed elsewhere. It was a chance that Tenzo would have to take.

A plan coalesced in Tenzo's mind, spinning the new knowledge to his favor. He didn't have much time, so he needed a decisive blow. Tenzo didn't let on that he'd figured out Obito's trick as he prepared his next strike. Hand signs wove almost without conscious thought before Tenzo slammed his palms against the carpeted ground. Branches and vines tore through the earth and spiraled toward Obito from every direction. Tenzo pushed the onslaught until sweat broke out on his forehead and his shoulders ached from the strain.

Obito slid through the attacks like air, advancing with an obvious smirk. "That isn't going to work on me. Just tell me-"

Tenzo snapped off a shuriken with practiced ease. Its sharp edge ripped through the fabric and skin at Obito's shoulder. The man glanced down at the spray of blood and frowned, eyes fading from red to black. "What did you do?"

Exhaling to maintain focus on the various jutsu currently draining his chakra, Tenzo raised his eyes fully for the first time. Obito stared at him with a curious mix of anger and respect, no fear or uncertainty evident in his demeanor. The man radiated confidence as he began to form hand signs. Having been on a team with Itachi all those years before, Tenzo recognized them and began to prepare a counter attack. A fireball lit the forest, blinding in its intensity. It roared toward Tenzo, met his water bomb, and exploded in a spray of boiling droplets that scalded his forearm.

Obito formed jutsu and threw them at his opponent with abandon. Dancing backward, Tenzo met each strike with one of his own. Their clash dappled his bare arms with stinging spray, but Tenzo ignored the pain. He hardened his defenses and backed away from the place that he'd hidden Kakashi. Tenzo couldn't risk Obito directing his attacks toward that area of the forest.

Maintaining the chakra suppression on Obito while forming additional attacks drained Tenzo's chakra. He shoved down the hopelessness that dragged at his waning strength and pressed on; they had come too far to die here. Tenzo wasn't sure if Obito could use the sharingan with the amount of dampening his jutsu did, but if so, it would come at a much higher cost to the man. He had layered the suppression with his first mokuton attack, hiding it in plain sight. It wasn't one that Tenzo used often because the focus and chakra required, but this was a unique situation. Sweat rolled between Tenzo's shoulder blades, reminding him that there wasn't much time.

Sucking in a breath, Tenzo forced a second wave of plants from the earth. Obito dodged through them, fireballs scorching the vines before they could immobilize his arms and legs. Tenzo missed a block, allowing flames to singe his hip when he moved too slow. Chest heaving, Tenzo slipped around a tree for cover. Obito was better than he'd anticipated. Tenzo had hoped that the man would rely on the phasing trick to keep him safe, but he'd obviously trained in other jutsu as well.

Aware that he needed to end the fight now, Tenzo pulled at the reserves of his chakra. He dropped both palms to the ground, pulsing energy through the water running beneath the forest. Solid earth turned to mud as the liquid pooled beneath the surface. Obito sank to one knee in the sticky muck, the jutsu catching him midstride. Tenzo dispersed the water so the ground would return to a solid state in the hopes of immobilizing his foe.

Pain obliterated every thought for several seconds as flames licked along Tenzo's cheek and exposed right arm. The fireball roared past him, careening into the darkness while turning trees to smoldering ruins behind him. Tenzo dropped to one knee, grit his teeth against the agony, then lifted his head. Obito was temporarily captured in the earth, giving him the opening he needed to use one of his signature jutsu. Tenzo formed the signs by muscle memory and prayed it would be enough. Heavy bars rose around Obito, then wrapped tight like a wooden cocoon. The chakra enhanced prison would dampen Obito's power while preventing an escape. It was a messy, but effective capture technique.

Groaning, Tenzo sagged against a tree trunk and ran tentative fingers over the burns on his side. Darkened, blistered skin covered his right arm and chest, but it was superficial. They would heal given enough time. For now, he had bigger problems.

Tenzo stared at the cage where he'd imprisoned Obito and wondered if he dared to leave the man alive long enough to get him back to Konoha. He had no doubt they would learn a great deal from Obito, both about where he'd been and the Akatsuki, but Tenzo couldn't countenance the risk to Kakashi.

Pushing upright, Tenzo focused his chakra on the prison. He had never used it in this manner, but it had to be done. Tenzo forced the bars inward on themselves until the sickening crunch of splintering wood echoed through the forest. He held it there for several seconds to be sure, then released the jutsu. Only a dark circle of torn up ground and chipped wood remained.

Releasing most of the jutsu that he'd been holding, Tenzo shifted back to the balls of his feet. He half expected to see Obito pop up behind a tree laughing at him, but the man never appeared. The soft sounds of the forest crept back to life around him with the gentle lullaby of crickets and owls. No guards appeared to challenge Tenzo; it was really over. He didn't tempt fate by lingering.

The forest where Kakashi had been hidden remained undisturbed, but Tenzo circled twice to make sure that no one lurked in the shadows of an ambush . He released the final jutsu, body sagging in relief as the tree split open. Kakashi tumbled into Tenzo's waiting arms, his state of being largely unchanged by the events of the past half hour. The unconsciousness worried Tenzo, but there was nothing that he could do for it at the moment. Lifting Kakashi against his chest, he disappeared into the forest


	3. I'll Never Let Go

By the time Tenzo stopped for rest, dawn couldn't have been more than an hour away. Pain nagged at the back of his head, making it difficult to think. He had been more careful than he'd ever been in Anbu, laying half a dozen false trials before selecting an area of forest that he thought he recognized from a past mission. As an added precaution,Tenzo created four clones and sent them in different directions to confuse any guards that might have felt Obito's death. Rather than heading south toward Konoha as expected, Tenzo went northeast, intending to circle back by a longer route. His priority was keeping Kakashi safe, not getting back to the village as quickly as possible.

The man hadn't regained consciousness over the past few hours, but Tenzo wrote it off as exhaustion. He liked to think that Kakashi felt safe enough to sleep, but doubted that considering their struggle. At least Kakashi's condition made travel easier. While there had been no evidence of pursuit, he kept an eye open for it anyway.

Tenzo had felt no joy in removing Obito as a threat. While he hadn't remained by the scene of their fight long, he found the lack of blood disturbing. He comforted himself with the fact that it had probably been too dark for him to make out the crimson among the splintered wood. Or, perhaps the ground had soaked it up. Either way, if Obito were alive, he would have come after them by now.

Glancing overhead, Tenzo sighed. The soft drizzle that had begun not long after he'd retrieved Kakashi from the tree had turned into a steady, soaking rain. It stung the burns along his side even though the skin had started healing on its own, a gift from the Senju blood he carried. The canopy of trees provided some cover, but not enough considering his lack of supplies. Despite the chakra exhaustion looming on the horizon, Tenzo channeled enough to make a small alcove that would keep off the worst of the rain and provide some camouflage.

The space was large enough to be considered a small house, and far better than anything Tenzo could have found on such short notice. After laying Kakashi on the floor, he wove the walls between the trees so that the hideout blended seamlessly into the forest. Task complete, Tenzo dropped to the ground next to Kakashi and rubbed the back of his neck. Now that he stopped moving, the exhaustion of the past two days hit him full force. How long had it been since he'd slept?

Sighing, Tenzo removed each of his gloves with painful slowness. The burns made the task more difficult, dragging soft hisses and whimpers as the fabric scraped over sensitive flesh. The fireball that had brushed his chest had eaten away the compression fabric there as well, so Tenzo pulled the spare shirt from his bag. The methodical task of cleaning and dressing allowed his mind to calm as adrenaline ebbed away. A small travel lantern from his pack provided fitful light for the alcove, tucked carefully away lest it catch fire. Then, Tenzo took a swallow of water, rolling the liquid around in his mouth. He knew that he should eat, but the task required too much energy.

Tenzo crawled toward Kakashi and pressed two fingers against the pulse point in his neck. The steady rhythm of Kakashi's heartbeat reassured him enough to allow his mind to relax. The man's skin still felt warm to the touch, but not quite as feverish as it had in his cell. The rain had cooled his body at least. Gazing down at the angry red streaks emanating from Kakashi's left eye, Tenzo felt sick. _I did that._

Despite the exhaustion dragging him toward unconsciousness, Tenzo gently quested toward Kakashi with his chakra. He wasn't a medical nin by any stretch of the imagination, but he understood enough to heal basic field injuries. All Anbu did. Pressing the remainder of his energy into Kakashi's, Tenzo eased chakra the inflamed skin around his eye and the various bruises and cuts that covered his body. He imagined that Kakashi's breathing steadied after the healing, but he couldn't be sure.

"I'm sorry," Tenzo murmured, brushing a strand of damp hair away from Kakashi's forehead. The rain had washed the mud out, returning it to the familiar silver. He stared at the almost peaceful expression on the man's face with a sense of loss. "You're going to hate me when you wake up."

Regret squeezed through Tenzo at the realization. The atrocities that he'd committed at Obito's command had destroyed any possibility of a future with Kakashi as friends or otherwise. Kakashi's gaze had held a depth of hatred that no apology could fix. Their friendship was over as surely as if Tenzo had died there; maybe it would have been better if he had. He touched Kakashi's cheek again, then shook his head.

Fatigue made coherent thought difficult. Tenzo could have taken a soldier pill to keep himself awake for another day or two, a course of action that undoubtedly made the most sense. There was still a slim chance someone could be coming after them. Lowering his defense entirely to sleep seemed like a terrible idea, even in a place as safe as this. Or, Tenzo could lie down beside Kakashi like he'd done hundreds of times on missions over the years. It would likely be the last chance he ever had that option.

_It's funny the things you take for granted,_ Tenzo realized as he pulled off the damp cloak he'd been wearing. Kakashi's was dry enough to provide him some warmth should the fever continue going down so he left it in place. Spots danced in Tenzo's eyes as he lowered himself beside Kakashi, aware of his body burning through chakra reserves to heal the scalds along his side.

Tenzo rested one hand on Kakashi's hip. "I'm sorry," he murmured again, surrendering to the pull of exhaustion in the hopes that he'd wake up and find out that this had all been some kind of terrible nightmare.

* * *

Unfamiliar warmth drew Kakashi from the heavy darkness of unconsciousness. After nearly a week of chills that threatened to break his bones, the comfort of heat was almost overwhelming. Opening his eye slowly, Kakashi realized that most of the pain wracking his body had disappeared. He felt surprisingly well rested despite everything that had been thrown at him the past few days.

Belatedly, Kakashi noticed that his hand was resting on wood rather than the damp, earthen floor of his cell. He frowned and tried to recall the past few hours, but his memory came up blank. Someone had thrown a blanket across Kakashi's body to hold in the warmth. When he tried to push it off, he realized it was a cloak. He recognized the red clouds on a black background almost immediately. Kakashi ripped the garment from his neck and scrambled away like it might bite him.

Movement drew Kakashi's attention. A figure pushed themselves upright from where he'd been lying moments before. Panic clutched greedy fingers around Kakashi's throat as he recognized the dark hair and confused brown eyes that swept the room. He reflexively reached for a kunai only to realize that his weapon pouch was missing. Tenzo raised his hands with palms forward to show he held no weapons, but Kakashi flinched away from remembered pain. He could feel the blows falling and hear his bones cracking a second time.

Still unused to life with only half of his vision, Kakashi tipped his head to keep Tenzo in his line of sight. His body tried to utilize the sharingan, sending a wave of phantom pain spiking though his temple. Kakashi realized Tenzo was talking, but he only caught half of the words. "-going to hurt you. Calm down."

"You're working with Obito," Kakashi growled, surprised at the hatred in his voice. Even the novelty of realizing that his former teammate was alive paled in comparison to the man standing before him. "You are a traitor."

Frantic thoughts chased circles around themselves as Kakashi tried to remember the few conversations that he'd had with Tenzo. Had he revealed anything that he shouldn't have while thinking the man was an ally? As much as he wanted to believe that he meant well, Kakashi couldn't afford to now. He could barely form a thought beyond fear and anger. Only the training that he'd received in Anbu allowed him to push those emotions aside and focus on what needed to be done.

Concentrating on the calm in the center of his chest, Kakashi drew chakra. He relished in the feel of life flooding back into his body, at the familiarity of his fingers making hand signs. Indecision flooded Tenzo's face as he watched the display, then he scrambled backward across the small space, clearly recognizing the motions. The man fought to his feet as a blue glow filled the room and the chattering of birds echoed through the air.

As Kakashi launched himself across the room, the loss of sharingan made itself known. He moved too quickly for the human eye to track, too quickly to aim without the precision of the sharingan. Tenzo twisted away as Kakashi's attack went wide. The smell of ozone drowned out everything else, comforting in the familiarity. Kakashi turned, striking blindly with chidori, but Tenzo rolled out from under it. Sweat trickled down Kakashi's cheek as the dance continued. Tenzo managed to stay one step ahead, too knowledgeable of Kakashi's fighting style.

"Would you please listen?" Tenzo hissed, dodging away from a feint toward his chest. Kakashi pivoted the opposite direction, stepped onto his left foot, and thrust the chidori forward.

Lightning crashed through the hastily erected wooden shield, raining splinters into Tenzo's face. His brown eyes widened in shock as fear darkened them. The man continued backward, talking all the while. Kakashi tuned most of the words out. "-let me explain."

Kakashi twisted away. His free hand slid across Tenzo's exposed chest. If he'd had a kunai, the blade would have opened a significant wound. The burn of chakra exhaustion pulled at the back of Kakashi's mind, forcing him to release the chidori for a moment. He sucked breath into his lungs, surprised at the weakness he felt already.

"Your injuries are catching up with you," Tenzo surmised, pausing. The man shifted onto the balls of his feet while watching Kakashi for any sudden movements. Then, he shook his head. 'You're undoing all of the healing that I did."

Scoffing in the back of his throat, Kakashi tossed his hair from his eyes. "The healing that you did to repair the damage you caused in the first place?" Tenzo's lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn't offer an argument. Anger dripped like blood from Kakashi's mouth. "Even if the rest of the village turned against me, I never thought you would."

"I didn't," Tenzo growled, jaw clenching tight in frustration. "Will you please let me explain?"

Kakashi hardened his heart against the pain in Tenzo's voice; he ignored the agony in once friendly eyes. Those dark pools held only lies now. Kakashi gestured toward his missing eye, noting that Tenzo had avoided looking at the gaping expanse for the entire fight. "I suppose I did this to myself?"

When Tenzo looked away, Kakashi snarled every bitter emotion from the last few days]. "You took my sharingan." The anger gave him strength to pull chakra into himself again. The soft blue glow of chidori paled Tenzo's face as Kakashi threw himself forward. He knew a moment of satisfaction at the fear in the other man's eyes, but it did little to erase the hurt of being betrayed.

Tenzo had been standing still, an easy target for chidori even without the sharingan. Kakashi thought that he'd feel some victory, some sense of elation at winning the fight. Instead, as his hand pushed through Tenzo's chest with a sickening squelch, Kakashi only felt a sense of loss that nearly stole his breath. How had they ended up here?

Tenzo's body wavered then disappeared in a puff of silvery smoke. In the disorientation that followed, strong hands clamped around Kakashi from behind. Tenzo hooked his arms through Kakashi's to immobilize him. Almost immediately Kakashi felt the telltale diminishing of chakra that signaled a suppression jutsu. He growled and tried to throw the younger man off balance by twisting to the side.

"Stop struggling," Tenzo growled, biting off each word with the effort of containing Kakashi's limbs and chakra at the same time. "Just listen, please."

"You're a liar and traitor; I couldn't believe anything you said, even if I wanted to." Kakashi's words were sharper than razors as he wrapped his hands around Tenzo's forearm. He flung his head backward and heard a satisfying crunch. Dizzying pain spiraled through the back of his skull when it connected with his captor's mouth.

Tenzo grunted, then spat to the side without loosening his hold. If anything, his arms tightened. "Dammit Kakashi, think! Would I willingly hurt you?"

Refusing the logic in Tenzo's pleas, Kakashi fought to free himself. His head and feet connected several more times, but Tenzo's grip never faltered. Kakashi couldn't focus on the toxic lies spewing out of Tenzo's mouth. He had already been betrayed once; to trust him now would be a death sentence. Kakashi still remembered the flash of hope that he'd felt when Tenzo walked into the room where he'd been held, and the bitterness of realizing the man was a double agent. Kakashi wasn't sure that he could live through that again.

The chakra suppression jutsu also removed the adrenaline high that had been singing through Kakashi's veins. Even though he'd been healed, his body still remembered the injuries it had endured. It would take days before he was back to fighting prime, even with healing. This fight needed to end soon if Kakashi was going to have a chance of escaping. Though, he had no idea where he would go if he did. That was a problem for another time.

Tenzo had to be feeling the same way if the quiver in his arms was any indication. The man's grip had eased just enough for Kakashi to focus his last bits of chakra into his muscles to pull away. He didn't waste a moment being surprised; he spun and leaped forward with the intent to hit Tenzo's temple with enough force to render him unconscious. Kakashi hung mid-leap in the air. It took him a moment to recognize the wooden bonds that wrapped his wrists and ankles.

The pressure on Kakashi's joints was minimal, holding him almost gently. Tenzo had timed the capture perfectly to protect him from taking more damage. Even though some part of Kakashi recognized this, panic surged into his throat at being subdued again. The memory of his cell was too recent to ignore. He thrashed and jerked against the unyielding wood until sweat poured down his cheeks. Kakashi only raised his head once he realized it was futile.

Fresh blood ran down Tenzo's chin and disappeared into the dark Anbu shirt he wore. The man lifted a hand and wiped his mouth. "I know that you don't trust me, but I'm taking you back to Konoha. If I have to keep you suppressed and bound the entire way, I will."

"What did he promise you?" The steel in Kakashi's voice surprised him when he spoke, almost as much as the words. Recalling Tenzo's fawning expression when he looked at Obito, Kakashi wasn't sure that he wanted to know. His entire world had been turned upside down. If Tenzo could betray him, anything was possible. He wouldn't have been surprised to look out the window and see an orange sky or find blue blood gushing from a wound. "What did he give you?"

"He didn't give me anything." Tenzo sighed, shoulders slumping forward to give him a deflated look. The sudden lessening of chakra suppression left Kakashi dizzy as the bonds lowered him to the ground. He stared at Tenzo, half expecting some kind of trap, but the man didn't even look up. When Tenzo spoke again, the words sounded as if they'd been dragged out of him, numb and dissociative. The sound of a man spouting information instead of dealing with the implications. "He used a brainwashing jutsu to alter my perception. I saw you as an enemy."

As much as Kakashi wanted to ignore them, the logic made him pause. Tenzo certainly had behaved like Kakashi was an enemy. He tipped his head to the side, filtering through the dozens of genjutsu that he was familiar with, but couldn't come up with any that worked that way. It could have easily been another lie to regain Kakashi's trust, but to what purpose?

The wood enclosing Kakashi's wrists and ankles released, allowing blood flow to return in a wash of tingling. Tenzo continued to stare at the ground. "He wanted to know what information you had about Naturo and Konoha. When you resisted, he encouraged me to use pain to get the answers he needed." Tenzo's eyes screwed shut in a convincing display of shame, then he blew through his lips in a long sigh. "I'm sorry."

For perhaps the first time in his life, words failed Kakashi. He couldn't think of a response to Tenzo's confession, mostly because he couldn't be certain of its validity. He snorted, unable to hold back the incredulity. As if a simple 'I'm sorry' could fix everything that had happened. It certainly wouldn't return the sharingan or repair the bridges that Tenzo had burned.

Tenzo wilted further in on himself, then reached toward his weapons pouch. Kakashi leapt as far back the walls would allow. Unaware, Tenzo slid a kuani across the floor, blade spinning between them. Kakashi bent down and closed his fingers around the cold metal, comforted by the weight. When Tenzo spoke, his voice sounded small and broken. "I'm sorry, senpai. I understand that you hate me." He moved with deliberate slowness, lowering to his knees to present an easy target. "I hate myself for being weak enough to be used against you."

Kakashi turned the kunai in his hand, eyes locked on the man kneeling before him. It would be easy enough to do: Tenzo hadn't moved since his knees hit the floor. A quick lunge would bring Kakashi inside his guard. Then, a slash of the blade would spill the man's blood in the way that so many enemies had fallen before Kakashi. Except, despite all the space between them now, this was Tenzo. Even though he'd betrayed Kakashi, even though he had tortured him for hours and stolen the sharingan, even though everything inside of Kakashi warned that this could be a trap, _it was still Tenzo_.

In the end, the trembling in Tenzo's shoulders decided Kakashi. He took two steps forward, close enough to brush through the man's hair if he wanted to. Kakashi heard a soft, almost inaudible noise: the sound of pain that went too deep to express verbally. Exhaling, Kakashi knelt in front of Tenzo and dropped the kunai between them, point driven in the wood. Part of him still worried if all of this was an act, a cunning ploy to make him lower his defenses. But, this was a trap that Kakashi would willingly fall into. His hand seemed to move of its own accord, lifting Tenzo's chin.

Tenzo's damp, brown eyes rose, agony obvious in the tear tracks cutting through the grime. Kakashi's breath caught in his throat. No genjutsu could so perfectly match the soft flecks of gold in Tenzo's eyes. No clone could replicate the thin scar along his left temple where Kakashi's blade had gotten too close in a spar. Kakashi reached for the fury or fear that he'd felt moments before and came up empty. "I don't hate you," he whispered.

"Senpai-"

Unable to bear another apology, Kakashi shook his head. He couldn't stand another reminder of the torture that he'd lived through. Kakashi couldn't listen to Tenzo's brokenness about the things that he'd done; the air already felt too thick to breathe. If Kakashi concentrated on the hurt, he might not keep going. The only thing that mattered was this moment. If Kakashi was wrong, he would die or the genjutsu would shatter and leave him alone in a cell. If he was right-Kakashi's mind couldn't form a complete thought past that concept.

"I could never hate you," Kakashi repeated, voice quavering despite the firmness in his words. His throat threatened to squeeze off the rest of his admission, but Kakashi forced it out for better or for worse. "Sometimes, I think you're the only person I could ever trust."

"How can you say that?" Tenzo shook his head and laughed, a bitter sound that hung between them like a wall. "After everything I did, and all of the damage I caused? Your sharingan-"

As the words flowed over him, Kakashi realized that he had no idea what his life would look like moving forward. If Tenzo were telling the truth about going back to Konoha, it would be like starting over again. Kakashi had lost everything that made him the shinobi that he'd been two weeks ago. He might as well have died in that cell. Kakashi's head spun, panic and uncertainty swirling through him by turns. He pushed the thoughts aside; he could only handle one impossible situation at a time. Kakashi forced his attention back to the man in front of him.

The memory of coming back to life and realizing that Tenzo wasn't there drove itself to the forefront of Kakashi's mind. The horror of learning that the man had been captured combined with Kakashi's complete helplessness in the hospital had been paralyzing. Then, the terror when Tsunade deemed a rescue mission too dangerous. There were too many emotions tied up with Tenzo for Kakashi to think clearly.

"I lost you once," Kakashi confided, hardly believing the words coming out of his mouth. Tenzo tipped his head to the side, clearly not understanding as he continued. "I don't want to make the same mistake twice."

Kakashi knew that he wasn't making any sense, but he couldn't fit the words together the way that he needed them to. He had never been good with speeches, preferring to let his actions speak for themselves. Could it possibly be that simple? He raised his hand back to Tenzo's chin and used the other to tug at the mask covering his own face, which had miraculously remained in place through everything. Tenzo had just long enough for his brow to furrow in confusion before Kakashi brushed their lips together.

Reality flickered at the edges, then steadied in a way that made Kakashi's stomach clench like he'd missed his step. He felt the warmth of Tenzo's breath when the man whispered his name. Another broken apology started to form on Tenzo's lips, but Kakashi sealed them with his own. He lingered until his lungs begged for air, then a moment longer before pulling back.

Tenzo blinked when they broke apart, eyes dazed like he couldn't accept what had just happened. Kakashi felt the same way. After everything they'd been through, after the loss and pain, it seemed almost laughable that a kiss would change anything. But, the blood roaring in Kakashi's ears told a different story. They still had things to work through, a lot of them, but the giddiness that came from Tenzo's reaction gave him hope that they might be able to.

Tenzo shook his head, obviously still off balance. "I don't understand. How can you even stand to look at me, much less anything else?"

Kakashi considered the question for a long moment, then shrugged. "Because I forgive you.".

The words sounded impossibly simple, but for Kakashi it was that easy. The man who'd betrayed him wasn't _his_ Tenzo. He couldn't compare the agony of thinking that he'd lost that man forever to the pain of having his sharingan taken. They were as different as day and night. For weeks, Kakashi had feared that he'd never see Tenzo again, that he'd never be able to apologize for all of the things he'd left unsaid. Obito's genjutsu delayed their meeting by a few days, nothing more.

Kakashi knew that the man across from him wasn't pretending now; no one could fake emotion that well. Tenzo's voice sounded heavy when he answered, eyes slipping back toward the ground. "I'm not sure I can forgive myself."

"Then I'll have to do enough for both of us," Kakashi answered. He inched close enough to curve his hand against Tenzo's tear damp cheek. The way that the man tipped his head into Kakashi's touch told him everything that he needed to know.

Exhaling Kakashi's name like a prayer, Tenzo started to speak, but Kakashi cut him off. "Don't apologize again, please." Kakashi chuckled, tasting the bitterness in the sound. "I failed you too, in so many ways. I left you in Anbu, and never came back to check on you."

"You had your own life," Tenzo objected with a firm shake of his head. "I never expected you to look after me forever."

"But I should have." Kakashi swallowed around the lump in his throat, feeling like the air had been sucked out of the room. He couldn't draw a full breath, couldn't make himself stop the words from spilling out of his mouth. The pressure had built too great to contain them any longer. "You were the thing that mattered most, but I was too scared to admit it at the time."

Tenzo blushed, then brought his fingers up to trace the scar that had taken Kakashi's original eye. Kakashi wondered what it must look like now, but lost his train of thought when Tenzo's caress crossed his cheekbone, then followed along his jaw. Despite every effort to remain impassive, Kakashi shivered as the fingers quested over skin so unused to touch. Tenzo hooked his fingers in the mask tangled around Kakashi's chin and pulled it lower. "You look different," he murmured.

"I've gotten old," Kakashi laughed, feeling a wave of self-consciousness without the barrier that normally hid him from the world. The room felt uncomfortably warm under Tenzo's scrutiny.

"You've gotten more handsome," Tenzo said. The blush in his cheeks deepened, spreading to the tips of his ears. "I mean, not that you weren't before."

The words sent warmth pulsing through Kakashi's body; maybe he wasn't the only one with regrets for not speaking sooner. A wave of nervous, dizziness passed through him, but Kakashi no longer cared if it was from chakra exhaustion or the proximity of Tenzo's body. He shook his head. "I wasted so much time."

When Tenzo looked up, there was an expression on his face that Kakashi had never seen before. The almost playful smile didn't match the heat in his eyes. His hand tightened in Kakashi's shirt. "Let's not waste anymore, then."

Kakashi surrendered to the pressure, allowing Tenzo to pull him forward. He marveled at the easy way Tenzo welcomed him, meshing their mouths together in a hungry kiss. Kakashi could taste blood on the other man's lips, but any regrets were drowned by the softness of Tenzo's tongue against his. Even Kakashi's best fantasies paled in comparison to this reality. He'd been afraid that the shift from friendship to something more might be awkward, but it felt as natural as breathing.

At some point, Kakashi's hands came up to cradle Tenzo's face of their own volition. When they broke apart for air, Tenzo pulled in a breath that he accentuated with an expletive. Kakashi instantly knew that he would do whatever it took to hear the subtle break in Tenzo's voice again. He grinned, trying and failing to slow the rapid pounding of his heart. "Yeah," he agreed.

The crimson on Tenzo's face deepened, but somehow it only made him more attractive. Their knees were almost touching, close enough for Tenzo to rest his hand on Kakashi's thigh. Fire raced along the muscles as his body shuddered. Tenzo's fingers continued higher, brushing along Kakashi's stomach, rising over his chest, curling against his shoulders. The hands tightened, pulling Kakashi toward the floor.

Tipping his chin, Kakashi caught Tenzo's lips again and followed him backward. The younger man showed tremendous flexibility, lying back like that with his knees bent, their legs tangling together as he unfolded. Tenzo's teeth raked Kakashi's lip, the shiver of pain and pleasure tightening his stomach. Kakashi braced himself with a palm on either side of Tenzo's shoulders, knees outside of his hips, hovering above. He felt the warmth of Tenzo's arms around his waist and recognized the invitation to sink lower.

Kakashi complied, biting back a groan at the juxtaposition of soft lips and firm muscles beneath him. He felt Tenzo grin against his mouth, then ever so slightly rock his hips to brush against the evidence of Kakashi's excitement. His body dipped lower, arms trembling in a way that had nothing to do with fatigue. Tenzo's fingers tightened in Kakashi's hair, holding him there to be kissed thoroughly until the world spun.

Flames raced along Kakashi's back, and it took a disoriented moment to realize that Tenzo had tugged his shirt loose from his pants. Chill bumps followed in the wake of the man's caresses, chasing the heat up Kakashi's spine. He shivered as the clinging fabric slid higher, then rocked back onto his knees. Tenzo pushed onto his elbows, eyes smoldering as he watched Kakashi reach for the hem of the garment. Kakashi tried to tell himself that he and Tenzo had seen each other shirtless dozens of times over the years; there was nothing to be nervous about. _This is something else,_ his mind suggested. _You want him to like what he sees._

Blowing out his breath, Kakashi tugged his shirt and mask free, then tossed them aside. Gentle pressure on his stomach prevented Kakashi from losing himself in the taste of Tenzo's mouth. He flushed until he realized that Tenzo wasn't looking at him. His eyes were focused on the marks that covered Kakashi's chest and stomach. The man's fingers shadowed a two inch long cut that peeked between two ribs. It was bright pink instead of faded white, put there by Tenzo's actions.

Tenzo's fingers trembled over the mark, his brown eyes clouding with hurt. Kakashi caught the hand in his and placed a light kiss against the palm, trailing his lips along the man's wrist. Tenzo murmured Kakashi's name, voice heavy with memories of the pain he'd inflicted, but Kakashi shook his head. "It's a small price to pay," Kakashi breathed, drawing Tenzo from his dark thoughts. "You're here now, and that's all that matters."

Before Tenzo could argue, Kakashi kissed him. He tried to imitate the way that Tenzo's kisses made him forget everything but the pleasure of his touch. Kakashi must have done a decent job because a delicious moan slipped free when Kakashi's lips brushed the skin behind the man's ear, then caught the lobe with his teeth. In the urgency that followed, Kakashi decided that Tenzo was wearing far too many clothes for him to continue the exploration. His hands slid between them, tugging on the unforgiving compression fabric of Tenzo's Anbu shirt. It rolled upward, and the pair separated long enough for him to toss it away.

Desire warred with pain as Kakashi studied that unfamiliar map of Tenzo's skin. The years in Anbu hadn't been kind. While Tenzo didn't have as many scars as Kakashi carried, a handful of new marks marred his pale skin. A nearly white cut crossed Tenzo's left collar bone, and Kakashi couldn't help but think how deadly a wound like that could have been. He pressed his lips against the cool skin, trailing his tongue over the marred flesh.

Tenzo made a soft sound in his throat that increased the temperature of the room by several degrees. His fingers returned to Kakashi's hair, tugging him back. Before Kakashi could question the movement, Tenzo's mouth was on his. Kakashi chased Tenzo into that inferno of urgent caresses and desperate kisses. He ran his hands down Tenzo's back, hesitating until the man shifted to force Kakashi's touch to drop lower with a soft chuckle.

The sound died in a gasp as Tenzo's fingers dragged across the button of Kakashi's pants. Tenzo looked up with an almost shy expression, lower lip caught between his teeth as he silently asked permission. Kakashi's heart hammered in his chest as Tenzo slid the button free then lowered the zipper. When he'd first leaned in to kiss Tenzo, it had been pure instinct and need; Kakashi hadn't imagined that it might lead to anything more, at least, not right away.

Tenzo's fingers traced along the top of Kakashi's pants, forcing him to accept that they'd shot past the line between friendship and something more. The brush of nails drew out a gasp that Kakashi buried between Tenzo's neck and shoulder. Kakashi nipped at the tender skin, trying to ignore the twisting pressure of the fingers between them. Wrapping an arm around Tenzo's waist, Kakashi pressed him toward the ground. He caught Tenzo's hands in his, threaded their fingers together, and left a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses along the man's neck and shoulder.

Below him, Tenzo's body arched enough for Kakashi to feel the hardness pressing against his hip. Forcing himself to slow, Kakashi kissed his way past Tenzo's collarbone and chest, pausing as if he could feel the man's heart pounding against his lips. He moved lower still, letting his fingers slip loose from Tenzo's to glide down his arms. Tenzo squirmed against the tease, groaning when Kakashi kissed alongside the trail of dark hair on his lower stomach.

Kakashi paused there, watching the skin contract against the heat of his breath. Tenzo grew harder, the pressure becoming almost uncomfortable against Kakashi's chest with every movement. He rested his elbows on each side of Tenzo's hips, glancing up as he reached for his pants. A warm flush covered the younger man's face and his hair had been mussed by Kakashi's fingers, but he'd never looked more attractive.

Without breaking eye contact, Kakashi unbuttoned and unzipped Tenzo's pants and worked them, and the underwear beneath, down his hips. A soft, half whimper left Tenzo's lips as he watched the spectacle, chest rising and falling rapidly. Kakashi kissed the sharp vee of abdominal muscles, letting his tongue follow the dips. Then, exhaling half in anticipation and half in nervousness, Kakashi slid one hand inside Tenzo's pants to free him from the tangle of clothing.

Tenzo groaned as his cock throbbed in Kakashi's hand. Running his tongue across dry lips, Kakashi gave an experimental stroke. Tenzo hissed, and the fingers that Kakashi had pushed away earlier came back to tighten in his hair. He gave in to the pressure, lingering by Tenzo's stomach while his hand moved in a steady rhythm. The grip on Kakashi's hair fell away as Tenzo balled his fingers into fists, pressing one against his mouth to stifle the groans of pleasure slipping out. The sight made Kakashi forget his intentions of removing clothing in favor of chasing those sounds from Tenzo's throat.

When Kakashi removed his touch, Tenzo drew a deep breath that ended abruptly in a strangled grunt. Kakashi flicked his tongue against the head of Tenzo's cock, circling and teasing the slit. Tenzo arched, biting down on his fist to contain his growing volume. Determined to make him lose that battle, Kakashi closed his lips around the head and sank halfway down. Tenzo bucked beneath him, making Kakashi work twice as hard. He drifted lower, tongue curling and twisting over the head with each pass.

"Please," Tenzo mumbled, twisting his hips so much that Kakashi had to still them with his grip. A fist slammed into the ground as the man whimpered. "I can't-"

Kakashi drew back, grinning as Tenzo collapsed, trembling on the ground with a curse. Surprised by the words, Kakashi chuckled and kissed his way up Tenzo's stomach and chest. Then, he ran a hand across the other man's sweaty cheek. "You were saying?"

The world spun, and Kakashi's back hit the ground hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. Fear flashed through his chest. Then, Tenzo's lips obliterated everything except pleasure. Somehow, the man managed to kick off his sandals and pants without breaking the connection between their lips. Kakashi threw his head back, dragging in much needed air. Tenzo filled his senses to the point of being too much. His touch scorched every inch of Kakashi's exposed skin, and his mouth drove him closer to the edge with every tease.

Tenzo didn't torment Kakashi by moving slowly. He sat back and pulled Kakashi's pants and sandals off with a deft movement that spoke of familiarity. The cool air rose chill bumps across Kakashi's overheated skin as Tenzo's eyes traveled the length of his body. He crawled up to mesh their lips together in a way that made Kakashi lightheaded, especially with the friction between their hips. He groaned when Tenzo kissed the front of his neck, then moved downward.

The feel of Tenzo's mouth around Kakashi's cock made his vision blacken at the edges. The pleasure grew to a pain that tightened low in his stomach as every nerve sent lightning coursing through his body. Tenzo drew back at the last second, but it took Kakashi several bliss soaked moments to realize as the room flickered in and out of focus. His entire body hummed with desire.

Kakashi sat up to pull Tenzo's body against his. He could taste himself on the man's tongue as he dropped a hand to stroke them both together. Tenzo jerked, sweat-slicked body trembling as his face darkened with embarrassment or desire. Kakashi could no longer tell the difference. "I can't last much longer," Tenzo warned, panting in shallow breaths beside Kakashi's ear.

Kakashi hummed, understanding. It had been a long time since he'd had any type of release and each brush of Tenzo's body dragged him closer. Suddenly, Kakashi realized that he didn't know which way Tenzo wanted things to go. They'd never discussed sexual preferences before, certainly nothing as exotic as positioning. Warmth flooded Kakashi's face as he wondered how to ask.

If Tenzo felt the same way, he gave no indication. He caught Kakashi's lower lip in one of those kisses that made breathing unimportant, then pulled away. A whine left Kakashi's mouth before he could stop it, but Tenzo only laughed. He reached for the Akatsuki cloak that Kakashi had thrown off what seemed like lifetimes ago and spread it across the floor. Then, he settled on his left hip and looked at Kakashi over his shoulder, blushing despite the obvious invitation.

Kakashi blew out a breath, smoothing his hand down Tenzo's thigh. The momentary pause slowed the momentum enough that the next kiss was languid and gentle, almost exploratory. Kakashi guided Tenzo onto his back, and it didn't take long for the ache to return to the pit of his stomach. Kakashi reveled in the whimpers and moans that his touch caused. He slid a hand between them, and strong thighs wrapped around his hips.

Tenzo's entire body shuddered when Kakashi circled his entrance. Kakashi leaned down to kiss him again, tongue pushing past his lips as one finger pushed inside. Tenzo's cock pulsed against Kakashi's stomach, and he hooked a hand behind Kakashi's neck to haul him back down. Fighting for self control, Kakashi inserted a second digit and scissored them open in one direction, then the other. Once Tenzo grew accustomed to the stretch, Kakashi offered a different angle.

Kakashi continued until the man pushed toward his hand. "Please, I need you," Tenzo gasped, voice breathless with pleasure. He wondered if the man had any control of the words coming from his mouth, then decided that it didn't matter.

Drawing his fingers through the clear liquid that had leaked onto Tenzo's stomach, Kakashi smeared it over his cock. It wouldn't be as good as lube, but it would serve well enough with the precum dripping from the tip of his. Tenzo clearly wanted him to continue, with or without lube. Kakashi hooked his arms behind the man's knees, pushing them almost to his shoulders. Tenzo moaned something unintelligible when Kakashi pressed against his ass.

Capturing Tenzo's lips, Kakashi inched forward into the heat. The tight muscle gave just enough to allow slow, shallow thrusts. Tenzo fought his arms free of Kakashi's and squeezed his ass with every half-thrust until Kakashi struggled to maintain the pace. Breathing hard, he bit off a curse when Tenzo tilted upward without warning. The clench of muscle made his head spin, especially when combined with the whimpers of painful pleasure that escaped Tenzo's mouth. The man's fingers tightened, pushing and pulling Kakashi with an urgency that he couldn't deny.

The first full thrust nearly shattered Kakashi's illusion of control. He rested his forearms on each of Tenzo's shoulders, fingers raking through the damp hair as he locked their lips together. Tenzo's fingers dug into Kakashi's back for purchase with each movement, his head falling back in pleasure. Kakashi laved his tongue over every inch of sweaty skin he could reach, rocking his body to offer Tenzo the friction that he needed.

The ache for release set Kakashi's rhythm, and he moved faster with every breath. Tenzo rocked his hips with Kakashi's, murmuring words that Kakashi had long since moved past understanding. All he could focus on was the taste of Tenzo's tongue and the heat squeezing around him with each thrust. Tenzo's fingers dug into Kakashi's shoulders when he cried out, his entire body jerking. Warm liquid flooded between them, and the muscles around Kakashi locked tight enough that he couldn't have moved if he wanted to.

Instead, Kakashi kissed Tenzo's panting lips, brushed through his dark hair, and mumbled encouragement. He let Tenzo ride the high of release until his body begged for the same oblivion. Dark eyes came up with a dazed expression. "Don't stop," Tenzo breathed. "I need to feel you get off inside me."

Kakashi drowned in the words, allowing his hips to snap forward the way that he'd needed since they started. Tenzo dragged his nails along Kakashi's spine, arching into every thrust until Kakashi couldn't separate their needs any longer. The movements were broken, urgent things mixed with cursing and begging that Kakashi didn't need to translate. Then, with a strangled cry of Tenzo's name, Kakashi shattered. His muscles spasmed hard enough that his forearms gave out. Hands circled around him, holding Kakashi as the tremors passed.

"Fuck," Kakashi growled, sensation returning enough for him to realize that he was crushing Tenzo. His arms trembled almost as much as the thighs still wrapped around him. Kakashi rested his forehead against Tenzo's, dragging him into a long, tender kiss before separating their bodies. The sudden loss of sensation was nearly as disorienting as the cold air that enveloped him. Kakashi collapsed beside Tenzo, breathing hard. "Fuck," he repeated for good measure.

Tenzo chuckled and shifted, using the edge of the cloak to wipe his stomach. "Yeah."

Kakashi focused on the simple task of breathing as the adrenaline wore off. When he opened his eyes, he realized that Tenzo had nestled against his chest without speaking. Kakashi traced nonsensical shapes on the man's back, shivering as his temperature returned to normal. He lingered in the half-sleep of post-coital bliss, losing himself in the steady, familiar cadence of Tenzo's breath.

After several long minutes, reality began to reassert itself. Kakashi's mind refused to be sated by the half answers that he'd received. Nervous laughter almost bubbled through his lips as he considered their situation. He and Tenzo had just lowered every defense they had for a few moments of pleasure. A warm flush colored Kakashi's cheeks as he realized how foolish it had been. What if Obito or one of his minions had shown up?

Kakashi shifted, peeking down to see if Tenzo's eyes were open. Seeing that they were, he swallowed the nervousness and asked the first question. "What happened with Obito? Shouldn't we be trying to put more distance between us?"

Tenzo pressed his hand to the center of Kakashi's chest to prevent him from rising, then sighed. When he spoke, his voice lacked emotion. "Obito is gone."

The words shouldn't have caused a stab of loss in Kakashi's heart, but they did. One day he would find out how Tenzo had beaten the more powerful shinobi, how the man had been alive at all, but Kakashi sensed that now wasn't the time. He understood the weight of taking a life, and the desire to ignore it until you were ready to deal with what happened. Kakashi hummed and didn't press for more information.

Another thought struck Kakashi, bringing with it a wash of painful memories that he forced down. "How did you break his genjutsu?"

Their mingled breathing was the only answer that Kakashi received, and he wondered if Tenzo had fallen asleep. He almost repeated the question before Tenzo's soft response shattered the quiet. "You used my name." Tenzo's voice sounded small and broken as he confessed to Kakashi's side. "Obito only knew me as Yamato, so he couldn't corrupt that part of me, the part that's always belonged to you."

The words made Kakashi's pulse skip a beat. He had only vague memories of that moment, most prevalent was the desire to end it all. It had never occurred to him that he could own a part of someone else's heart. The idea left him with a soft, fluttery feeling in his chest, one that he wasn't ready to examine. Kakashi kissed the crown of Tenzo's head. "I'm sorry that I doubted you."

"I'm sorry that I gave you reason to," Tenzo chuckled. The warm sound drove back some of the shadows in Kakashi's mind. "We can talk about all of it later, I promise, but for now we should rest while we can."

There were a million things to discuss, but the comforting press of Tenzo's body on his gave Kakashi hope that they would find the answers. For the moment, he pulled Tenzo tight against his side. Kakashi decided that there was no place in the world that he'd rather be.


End file.
